Don’t lose that fantastic idea!
When you sit down to write, do you wonder what happened to all of your amazing content ideas?
I’ve been there. I become frustrated because I remember that I had the perfect idea. In fact, it was so perfect I was sure I would remember it later. Well, it’s later and that perfect idea has vanished.
How about you? Have you experienced this frustration?
Playing hide-and-seek with your ideas
It’s as if your fantastic ideas have discovered an incredible hiding place. You wonder where they went. If you are lucky, you may be able to find them hiding in the recesses of your mind.
However, too often, your ideas win the game of hide-and-seek and don’t come out until you have given up and moved on … and even then, they may stay hidden.
Capture your ideas before they hide
Found you!
Too often, you have an epiphany at the most inconvenient time, including:
- While you are working on another project
- When you are taking a shower
- As you are falling asleep or just waking up
No matter when these flashes of brilliance occur, you need to capture them.
But how?
The key to capturing these ideas is to be prepared. Set up methods to capture these ideas. Some tools that can assist you with this include:
- Parking lot: Create a virtual space to “park” your ideas until you need them. You can do this in a Word document, through Evernote or other software. This is very helpful when you are working on another project and just need to get your idea down.
- Shower notepad: Yes, they actually make waterproof notepads for your shower. And, yes, I own AquaNotes. These notepads are great for keeping your ideas from going down the drain (pun intended).
- Notepad and pen by bed: This may be a simple concept, but if you get ideas while falling asleep, this lets you jot them down quickly and get back to sleep. Sure, they may be difficult to decipher in the morning, but you have a better chance of reading your handwriting than remembering that fleeting thought if you didn’t write it down.
- Recorder apps: When you are driving or exercising you may get an amazing idea. Use an app on your smart phone to capture those ideas without endangering yourself or ending your workout.
Where are your ideas?
Your homework is to determine where you seem to get the most inspiration … that you later forget. Once you know where you are most vulnerable, put a tool (or two) in place to help you capture future ideas.
Do you have a method for capturing your ideas? I’d love to hear them.
Evernote! I put everything that pops into my head (blog posts, domain names, business ideas, you name it) into a Notebook in Evernote. If I’m driving I create a Voice note.
Hi Mike.
I will have to try the Voice note. Often I end up calling my own voice mail if I am driving.
I’m a big fan of Evernote too, especially because it synchs between my various devices & PC. Also own some Aquanotes (a recent purchase) as inspiration often strikes while I’m soaking in the bath, but yet to christen them!
Geraldine,
I love that I can see my notes on all my devices. I hope you get to use your Aquanotes – I love them.