Trent at The Simple Dollar has been reading my mind again!

One art form that seems to have fallen by the wayside for many people is that of the handwritten thank-you note. A thank-you note is an elegant and inexpensive way to show appreciation to someone who has assisted you in some fashion and also is a stellar way to improve a potential business contact.

As a child I hated them, but as an adult I’ve become addicted to hand-written thank you notes. You so much as throw me a kind look or hug me when I need to be hugged and you’re getting thanked. 

I write them so often that during the year of my wedding preparations my mom actually asked me to stop sending them to her for every little thing. “Can’t you just keep track of whatever it is you think I’m doing and then send me one at the end of the year?” she asked. I thanked her for the suggestion, but um, no dice lady. You're getting thanked.

Why? Well, thank you notes make folks feel good. I mean, who doesn’t like to get mail? The note doesn’t have to be long – just meaningful. It doesn’t have to be grammatically correct – just timely. I try not to wait more than three days when putting thank you pen to paper.

Finally, don’t forget about your business contacts. It takes 20 seconds to shoot a contact an email and it's not all that meaningful. But taking three minutes to write, address and stamp a note sends a much more personal and memorable message.

Chic Geek Challenge: This week write two (or more) thank you notes to family, friends or business contacts. You won’t regret it!