Your Ideas are Precious - Capture Them

I've always had struggles with good ideas coming at the "best" moment - exactly when I can't note them down immediately. That happens when brushing teeth, being on the frying pan in the middle of a working day, when going through security check at the airport. If I don't note them down - they are lost. And some of these lost ideas could have lead to a breakthrough, others simply to improve the quality of life like buying milk and eggs for the next day breakfast pancakes.

There is a problem - there must be a solution. I decided to change things, and managed to develop a habit to capture ideas and reap the benefits.

Find Easy Ways to Note Your Ideas

The baseline - you need to find an easy and fast way to note your ideas. It can be anything you are used to - small notebook with a pen in your pocket, smartphone, a paper-ink or regular tablet with a stylus, or even writing on your hand.

My personal ecosystem includes smartphone, a paper notebook and a PC.

When I'm working, I have a paper notebook in front of me with a pencil. I'm chaotically noting down things that come to my mind. My second tool is Slack. Being my main corporate messenger app, I'm using the feature that you have yourself in the chat list. and you've got yourself in the 1-1 chat list - just message your ideas, links and anything to yourself.

When out of work, my main tool is a smartphone. Here I'm using a free app Keep Notes from Google. What's important for me - it is simple, fast, works with no internet connection (perfect during the flight, in expensive data roaming, when connection is unstable) and syncs seamlessly with the web app. I have it located on the first screen for fast access. There I've got notes by topic - some of them are work-related, some personal. Also, it's possible to share notes - the personal ones I'm sharing with the family. And to process the notes later - I'm mostly using a Keep Notes web app. Occasionally I'm using Slack as well in case I'm already in the app talking to somebody.

Note the minimum you need - a few words, a small pic

The goal is to capture the idea, not to write down an essay. Draw a small sign or picture, take a photo, write down a few words. You will have a chance to come back and work on it when time permits.

Fix ideas in your mind until you get to note them

Once you intuitively know how you are noting down your ideas, start an exercise to fix them in your mind once they arise. Your job is to hold them until you get to your routine. I usually associate the idea with the moment it came and what was happening then - it makes it easier for me to remember it. For example, you could be talking to a colleague and had a spark - try to remember what you were talking about at that moment, or even ask your colleague later to remind you.

Once I started consistently capturing more ideas, I felt positive impact on both my work and my personal life.