It’s happened to all of us: you’re in the car, at the grocery store, or just about to fall asleep at night when a flash of inspiration hits you. It’s the best idea you’ve ever had, and you’re giddy with your own brilliance.
But then, by the time you get out of the car, bring the groceries home, or wake up in the morning, the idea is gone and you can’t bring it back! It’s almost as if it never occurred at all.
While some people generate ideas like popcorn, the muse hits others only once in a blue moon. Wherever you fall on this spectrum, if you’re producing content for a living, you need a way to record these ideas and organize them in a way that will allow you to easily find them later—before they disappear!
Bottom line: If you’re struggling with a sticky note infestation and need a new idea tracking method, here are some ideas for you to consider.
When it comes to recording your ideas, you have two basic options: paper or electronic. If you prefer paper, a good option is to carry a small notepad and pen around with you—small enough to fit in your pocket or purse. Also keep a pen and paper close to your bed, since ideas tend to strike when we’re relaxed and trying to fall asleep.
Electronic note-taking can let you streamline the organizational process. Evernote and OneNote both provide desktop and phone apps so your notes show up across your devices. In the age when most of us have our phones essentially glued to our hands, this can eliminate the extra weight or bulk of pen and paper. Phone apps like Speechnotes or iSpeech will even save you the time it takes to type your idea out. Just speak into the app, and it will convert it to text for you. Be careful with this in public places though—if it’s a really innovative idea, you may not want someone to overhear it!
Once you’ve established your preferred method of recording your ideas, it’s important to find a way to organize them. After all, the whole point of recording the idea in the first place is so you can find it again later. Without organizing, it will be more difficult—and in some cases impossible—to find that one idea when you want it.
For paper notes, designate a place for them to go. A box or file of some kind will cost you the least amount of extra organizational time. You’ll be able to simply tear the note out of your notepad and put it directly into the file. For a little more structure, try a 3-ring binder. Transfer your idea to a larger sheet of paper and then add it to the binder. This will let you organize your ideas by type, date, feasibility, or any other way you want. You can even add section tabs to let you easily search through them later.
Another option is to scan or type your written notes into the computer. Using a scanner or phone to capture an image of your note will give you an electronic file that takes up no physical space. You can also title the idea in a way that will let you easily find it later through the computer’s search function.
Typing your note into the computer using something like Word or Google docs will let you type additional “tags” in the document that will help you search for it later. For example, if you own an ice cream shop and have an idea for bubble-gum-flavored ice cream cones, you might add a line of words like “upgrade,” “add-on,” “invention,” and “expansion.” That way, when you’re ready to tackle an upgrade in your ice cream shop but can’t remember what your idea was, you’ll be able to search for “upgrade” on your computer and it will pull up that document in the results.
Another way to organize electronically is with a spreadsheet. You can have all of your ideas in one workbook, separated into different worksheets according to type. Or you can have them all on one worksheet, but with a column describing the type of idea—“business,” “personal,” “travel,” etc. Then you can sort them however you want. Add a column with tag words to let you easily search when the list gets long.
Evernote, OneNote, and other similar applications will let you organize in the same instant you record your idea. From your phone or computer, you can group ideas together, add tag words, and put text, audio, and pictures in the same file to remember what inspired you in the first place.
Whatever your preference is, paper or electronic, simple or structured, find a way to record and organize your ideas that works for you. Most of us have had a brilliant idea—but couldn’t try it because we just couldn’t find it again! Choose your method and start it today. And if it’s simply a box or file that you toss your ideas into, then that’s the right choice for you. At least they’ll all be in one place when you need them!
