Idea organisation: How to choose and use apps so you won't go crazy or lose your brilliant thoughts

What's holding you back from capturing, organising, and acting on all those creative ideas swirling around in your mind? You’re swamped with thoughts, to-do lists, and plans that never seem to fit into one place. You've got sticky notes, random Google Docs, journals, ideas scrawled on napkins . . .

Information overload, and organising your ideas, can certainly seem like an uphill battle. When it feels like you’ve got 99 tabs open in your browser and your brain, it’s frustrating if your ideas never seem to come together. While I am gifted in comprehending, organising and clearly articulating complex and voluminous information, and I know how to?move steadily from idea overload to practical execution (it’s what my clients come to me for!), I do appreciate how overwhelming this can feel. For me, it’s been about using the right tools or strategies for thought organisation. ?

But how do you choose the right digital tool to organise your ideas? I’ve tried many over the years. From Evernote, when it was young, to experimenting with the likes of Notion, only to get lost in endless customisation. Like many, I often find myself enthusiastic at first, but then move on once the novelty fades.

Choosing the right tool for you can take time, but working with a tool is part of what Tiago Forte calls the “second brain.” That is an external system that helps you organise, store, and retrieve ideas and knowledge. Essentially, it’s about building a reliable framework to offload the clutter in your mind so that you can think more clearly and creatively.

Apps designed for idea organisation obviously play a key role in this “second brain” process (acting as your digital “second brain” – different from what I do as a human second brain), but finding one that aligns with your cognitive style and goals is essential — and tricky. For instance, are you more of a visual thinker, needing an app or tech tool that lets you see everything laid out like a digital whiteboard, or do you work best with simple lists?

Here are some prompts and questions to get you thinking about how to choose and use apps for idea organisation so that you can start to find the right tools that will transform your scattered thoughts into actionable clarity.

1: To choose the best app to help organise your ideas you need to understand your needs and cognitive style.

Start by identifying your goals. What do you want from your idea organisation system? Is it creativity support? Project management? Note-taking?

Now think about your style or way of thinking or processing information. If you’re a visual thinker you might prefer tools that handle images, mind maps, or diagrams. If you think in words, you may prefer a notes-focused app.

Some people, like those with dyslexia, may find apps that support visual processing particularly helpful. Dyslexics often process information more visually, with challenges in phonological processing (the sounds of words), so for this type of brain, tools that integrate images and mind maps are valuable. This is why understanding how your brain works can help you weed out apps that won’t work for you.

I work with visionary thinkers and find that recognising cognitive style is crucial to organising creative thought. In my experience working with clients, those who process vast amounts of complex information benefit most when we match the right tool to their thinking style —whether they're visual, auditory, or textual thinkers. For example, when working with someone whose brain operates visually, we might use apps that let them "see" connections between ideas rather than forcing them into rigid list-based systems.

2: To choose the best app for your idea organisation you need to evaluate the key features of different apps.

Depending on your needs you may need to look at the

·??????? ease of note-taking and capturing ideas.

·??????? searchability and retrieval functions.

·??????? integration with other apps and tools.

·??????? collaboration features (if needed).

I’ve personally tested many apps over the years — Evernote, Trello, Notion, Joplin, and Notebook, to name a few. While each has its strengths, I often find that after the initial enthusiasm wears off, I stop using them. Take Evernote, for instance — great for capturing ideas, but I often found myself overwhelmed by its complexity. Notion is fantastic for its customisation but can be a trap if you're not careful — endless tweaking can distract you from actually doing the work.

In my practice, I’ve found it’s essential to help my clients (who come to me at the book writing stage but are “stuck” and in need of guidance, advice, or a system to get organised) to avoid getting sidetracked by fancy features. The trick is to focus on the core needs. For example, is integration more important, or is simplicity?

3: To choose the best app to organise your ideas, be ready to experiment.

You might need to try a few different tools before finding the perfect fit. For a while now, I’ve been using Duck Note, a very simple, straightforward app that I discovered via Andrew Huberman’s newsletter. It’s the least fussy note-taking app I’ve found, which suits my needs for capturing thoughts on the go — especially those spontaneous ideas or perfect phrasings that come out of nowhere and vanish just as fast. I often record thoughts, sentences, descriptions and memories. ?It’s also incredibly simple to use; I just record my thoughts with Gboard's auto-transcription feature and later paste them into a Word document backed up on Google Drive.

Here is a (inexhaustive) list of apps that can be used for different purposes:

• Capturing ideas: Duck Note, Apple Notes
• Organising and categorising ideas: Notion, Evernote
• Project management: Trello, Asana

Be ready to be patient though! Many people, myself included, lose interest after the novelty fades. I think it’s important to give each app some time before deciding if it’s right for you.

4: Once you’ve chosen your idea organisation app, integrate it into your workflow.

Apps can become a natural extension of the creative process. I’ve integrated Duck Note by collecting ideas then regularly transferring them to a Word doc stored on Google Drive. This allows me to capture ideas in the moment and ensures they’re organised and ready when I need them for larger projects — like the memoir I’ve started working on.

But remember to think about how you're going to use the material that you collect. An app that you dump links, images, screenshots, etc., into is no good if you never look at it all again — or if looking at it overwhelms you. It’s about making sure the system you choose is manageable and useful for your specific needs.

A few suggestions to make the most of the apps in your workflow is to

·??????? capture ideas as soon as they come up.

·??????? periodically review and organise ideas into actionable tasks.

·??????? use project management tools to break ideas into steps.

It can also be a good idea to set reminders for reviewing your notes regularly so ideas don’t get lost.

5: Don’t forget in choosing an app for your ideas that there is balance to be had between digital and manual idea organisation systems.

It’s essential to remember that apps are just tools. They shouldn’t (and can’t!) replace creativity itself. Personally, I’ve always taken notes by hand because I’ve noticed that I think differently when writing versus typing. Pen and paper are essential for deeper reflection, but for rapid idea capture or when I'm in a creative flow, typing can feel more liberating —probably because I learned to touch-type at age 12, an invaluable skill for letting ideas flow freely.

There’s even science behind this. Studies show that writing by hand is better for memory and learning.

6: Try to not overload yourself with idea organisation apps.

It can be so tempting to be won over by the fancy tech and end up over-customising your app and spending time “organising” your organising app and not getting the thinking done!

Whether you’ve chosen only one app or whether you find yourself switching between too many tools, try to remember that it’s about functionality – what did you set out to achieve with this app? Try to stick to tools that actually enhance your process, not just those with shiny, attractive features.?

Ultimately, there’s no perfect app or one-size-fits-all system for organising your ideas. It all comes down to understanding your specific needs and preferences. Whether you require simplicity for quick idea capture or a more robust tool to track projects and connections, the key is to focus on what works for you. Start by listing your core needs — whether that’s purely text-based note-taking, integrating with other apps, or the ability to see your ideas visually. From there, narrow down your options and experiment with a few tools. Give each one a fair trial, maybe a month or so, before settling on the right fit. And remember, your organisational needs will evolve, so be open to adjusting your system.

Are you a gifted ideator, nonfiction writer, or business professional writing a book? Are you feeling overwhelmed by too many ideas or unsure which tools can best support your creative process? I can help you cut through the clutter and find clarity. Book a Quick Guidance session with me and get personalised, high-impact guidance to get you through the stuck spots and (back) underway with motivation and a plan.