Well it’s changed mine anyway…
I’m the kind of person who is good at coming up with ideas…
And yet terrible at seeing them through to completion… although I’m working on it 
I survive by having people around me who are “finishers” and ensure that all the crazy things my brain cooks up actually come into fruition before I can forget them and keep thinking of more!
Recently I started something that I’d heard about long ago but never gotten round to doing (because I was too busy with other “ideas”) and I’m pretty sure it’s going to mean hundreds of thousands dollars to my bank balance over the coming 12 months…
It’s simple too, that’s why I love it.
So me, I’m thinking of ideas all day long.
In the shower, on the toilet, reading something totally unrelated – I’ll get an idea at the drop of a hat. It’s also partly due to the fact that I’m a total nerd and I live eat and breathe online marketing… but that’s another story.
The thing is, I can never keep up with the ideas I get.
I get an idea, but before long I’m back focusing on my daily task list, and many ideas fall by the wayside; if not forever, at least until it’s too late to do anything about it.
So recently I started an Idea File.
All it is, is a Word document called “Ideas”
Whenever I come up with something, I rush back to the computer and add it in – then get back to work!
That’s the key too.
You come up with an idea, get it down and then move on!
If you’re an “idea” person like me, you’ll know how distracting it can be to be getting ideas all day long while you’re trying to work.
So really, you’re killing two birds with the one stone.
You’re helping to avoid distraction by letting your ideas out as soon as you get them then MOVING ON.
AND you’re compiling all your best ideas into one place that you can refer back to at a time when you CAN spend time to develop them and make decisions on them!
Seriously, if you heard any of yourself in the descriptions above you NEED to do this now.
I’m serious when I say that it’s already changed my life and I think it’ll change yours too.
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i tend to get most of my ideas in the toilet.. it can be irritating so hurry up with the movement and rush to my computer to record the stuff.. and by the time i run back, half the idea fades away..! lol!
I totally agree, Andrew! I’m also an IM nerd, and I seem to come with ideas at the craziest times…
So, I setup a whole project in Base Camp just for ideas, and I keep everything organized that way.
You’re right: the key is to get back to taking action on the ideas you’ve already come up with.
Great post,
Kyle
I bought a smart phone that had mobile windows just for this very reason. I wanted to be able to easily write down article ideas and then flesh out the article on the phone. It (the phone) never leaves my side…well, I don’t bring it to the bathroom with me.
It’s really a “good idea” to write down the ideas that come to your mind in day to day life. It’s even better to evaluate them and trying to execute them. Who knows, it can be a first step for a world famous business/project etc.
I use MS OneNote to track my ideas (and most of my projects). Much better than Word or a text document – and it saves whatever I type immediately.
Another tip – I often come up with great ideas while driving, but they are usually gone by the time I arrive at my destination. However, a friend of mine turned me on to Jott. Now, when I have an idea while driving I can call my Jott account on my phone, and it will “record” whatever I say and put it into an email as text. Pretty cool (and handy).
I do the same thing but have have used the KISS principle to record them – a small spiral bound notebook to write it down quickly, rather than having to find a PC. another bonus is its helps keep you focused on now projects rather than thinking about all the new ones
– common problem in IM….