How to keep brilliant ideas from disappearing
I have had a brilliant blog post…many times. I usually draft these brilliant posts or ideas in my head as I’m falling asleep, in the middle of the night, in the shower, or while I’m driving. You know, all inconvenient times to write things down.
I would be a multimillionaire if only I captured and followed through on executing all of the ideas I’ve had. (Wouldn’t we all?!)
What I need is a system and a process to ensure I can capture these ideas as they occur, and not rely on my faulty brain to remember half-baked ideas at some unknown point in the future.
It’s taking action in the form of capturing the ideas.
What are some ways to capture ideas?
- Keep a notebook by the bed.
- Keep bath crayons in the shower. Why not take notes on the wall?
- Take voice notes while driving. (the audio note feature in Evernote is awesome)
- Take text notes on a smart phone (or old fashioned note pad) while out and about.
- Take a picture of an object or place that inspired an idea. You can also take pictures of the shower notes so they don’t get washed away before they’re used – and so you can reference them while at a computer.
Notes and ideas can be captured anywhere. The next step is crucial:
Have a consistent way to intake and process your ideas so they don’t get lost in the shuffle.
Set aside specific time each day or week to process your ideas. Systematically go through each place you have taken notes and then either:
- Do the action item
- Schedule a specific time to do it later
- Delegate it to someone else or
- File for reference.
Since I use Evernote for almost everything, I created a template to capture notes with either text or audio. Enter your email below to get the Brilliant Idea Log.
What’s your favorite place or tool to capture notes? How often do you process notes and ideas?
This post is part of 31 Timesaving Tools, Tips & Templates, read the rest of the series here.