Jump Start January: Week 3 Day 2
Today we’re looking at a ’round about’ method that helps you hold on to your bright ideas, which in turn can help you to be more productive.
Today’s activity is to start an ideas book. These have long been used by writers and other creative people to capture those fleeting flashes of imagination that can so easily be lost and forgotten, but you can also use them for problem solving and improving your work or personal projects – they can be useful to just about anyone.
Just pick your notebook and keep it with you. I confess that I have three, as it fits so well with what I do for a living. I have a small one that lives on my bedside table because sometimes my ideas wake me up in the middle of the night, and over the years I’ve come to realise that some of the best ones appear in this way, thanks to my beeeyatch of a subconscious mind. Sorry, subconscious mind, I love you really. Please don’t wake me up at 3.35am tomorrow.
There’s a bigger, handsomer notebook that sits by my work desk, as I seem to have more complex step-by-step ideas during the day, plus a few completely random ideas for ways to add value or better usability to various projects that regularly prove useful.
When I’m out, I use notes on my mobile phone. Takes a bit longer to type them in, but at least I can email them or use cloud storage to access them from elsewhere later. Currently toying with the idea of using a stylus to speed it up – if you do this please let me know what you use and whether it’s worthwhile.
So there are a few ways you could start off an ideas book of your own. You only need to keep quick little notes in them, whenever inspiration strikes.
One thing I’ve noticed is that the more you empty your head of buzzing ideas, the more they are able to replace themselves. It’s like giving your mind permission to keep coming up with new ideas and solutions. Give it a try!
Do you use an ideas book already? What advantages has it given you? If not, how are you going to start taking your notes today?
