Write Your Thank Yous in Advance for Parties
This doesn’t just work when you’re throwing a wedding. If you’re invited to a nice dinner party, or any event where a Thank You would be called for, write out the thank you note ahead of time while the motivation is fresh. Leave it on your foyer table, stamped and addressed, with a pen next to it. The same pen you used to write the first part of the message...it looks weird if the pen color changes halfway through the message.
Then after the event, jot in any personalized details and drop it in the mail.
Write Conference Follow-ups
When you’re attending a conference, you’ll want to follow up with people you meet at the conference. If you generally try to schedule a follow-up call with someone within a few weeks, create an email message with your standard follow-up. “It was great meeting you at the ACME Gadget Conference. We spoke about XXXX. Let’s put a call on the calendar to get to know each other better and find out if there are opportunities we might pursue together.”
When you return from the conference, zip through your business cards, cut and paste the message text into a new email, and replace XXXX with whatever you actually spoke about. Then hit send. In mere moments, you’re done!
The problem with Thank You cards or follow-ups is that they happen after the event, when your motivation is low. Instead, do the bulk of the writing before the event, while the anticipation is high. Then fill in any event-specific details when you return. All that’s left is the super-easy work of dropping it in the mailbox or hitting Send if it’s email.
Now that you know how easy it is, what are you waiting for? Propose to your boyfriend, girlfriend, intersex friend, polyamorous family unit, or even just a stranger on the street. You’ll get all the fun of holding a wedding, and you now know how to give Thanks. Beforehand.
