Capture EVERYTHING: How I Record My Ideas
Many years ago, I made it a habit to hit record on any interesting or dumb thought or idea I have. Or when I read something interesting. Or have an interesting conversation.
Hit record = capture = I write the thing down
As a creator, everything has the potential to be grist for the mill. Anything I see, observe, hear, think or do can be inspiration for my writing, a video or a business idea.
It also means that I never stare at a blank page. I have a whole ocean of ideas and tidbits of writing to choose from at any given moment to turn them into something and share with you.
Here is how I capture everything:
I simply use the Notes app on my iPhone and MacBook.
For a while, I used the paid app Bear, but the Apple-native notes app has become a lot better over the years and so I recently switched back.
To keep things a little organized, I start a new note for each month.
The important thing is to revisit and curate these notes on a weekly basis (which is a habit I am still working on improving).
There is a little magic in the moment when you have an idea. Most ideas never make it into anything I create or share with others, but I have to capture it before I judge its value or quality.
This is also Austin Kleon’s method of writing:
“Make note of every dumb thought that occurs to you throughout the day. Tomorrow morning, pick the thought you think is the least dumb and write more about it. Repeat ad infinitum.”
These days you can literally record your ideas and have them transcribed using Otter.ai. I don’t do it much but I might experiment with it more in the future.
My best advice for any creator is: develop the habit to capture everything.
In the beginning you might have to remind yourself and more often than not you might forget. But when you do remember, write it down. Don’t ever think it’s too stupid or irrelevant or minuscule. Write it down before you make a judgement.
I pull my phone out all the time to capture ideas. Sometimes hundreds of times during any given day, especially when I’m out and about walking or on public transport. Or when I listen to a podcast, watch a film/documentary, listen to talk, hang out with an inspiring friend, read a book, work out at the gym, do yoga, meditate, do breathwork, surfing, before I go to sleep, when I’m cooking, in the shower…
In summary:
1. Capture everything.
2. Regularly turn what you capture into something tangible (daily or weekly)
Don’t just let your notes sit there, do something with them.