How I Capture Ideas and Why You Need to Start
“The key is the realization that our memory is far from perfect, and if you don’t get the idea down immediately (and I mean right now), chances are you’ll lose it.” - Phil Cooke
- 26 views
It’s been a lot of years now since I realized I had an ‘idea capture’ problem. It wasn’t always idea—sometimes just bits of information I thought I might want to use some time.
If you preach, teach, or write regularly, you need efficient ways to capture and retrieve the tidbits that cross your mind and experience.
My favorites…
- Voice recorder (a dedicated handheld for a long time, then eventually a phone app). Great for all the stuff that hits me while driving or walking, or even showering. (The majority of my ideas hit me when I’m not in a good place to write anything down.)
- Note-taking apps like OneNote, Keep, and others.
- Good ol’ paper and ink.
I don’t use the latter much anymore, but for a long time I had a paper and ink habit for capturing ideas and info at church, then I’d later summarize at a keyboard into OneNote or similar.
Now I do all the church note-taking in Samsung Notes on a tablet, with a stylus. I convert almost none of that to text, but instead use the tap keyboard to add keywords, so I can look up my handwritten notes later.
Views expressed are always my own and not my employer's, my church's, my family's, my neighbors', or my pets'. The house plants have authorized me to speak for them, however, and they always agree with me.
Discussion