The last couple of years have just been…fuzzy
I noticed back in 2020 that my memory just wasn't the same. With so much going on – and yet nothing happening at same time – I found I was forgetting things.
Combine that with my ideas tending to come to me at the worst possible time (trying to fall asleep? not anymore). I knew I had to come up with a system to capture my ideas.
In the end it made sense to have two different ways - one digital and one physical.
Obviously you need to have a system that works for you but this may give you some tips on how you can incorporate something like this in your own life:
📱 Digital
Use: I use this to capture content ideas. These ideas generally come to me when I'm out and about and I need to capture but not act on them straight away. So I needed something quick and easily accessible.
To capture them I have a set up a form linked to a spreadsheet (I use Airtable but this could easily be set up with Google forms and sheets). Mine's pretty basic. I have a section for idea topic, category tag and paragraph for key points / additional text.
The key here is ease of access. It's fine to have a tech solution but I knew if it was hard to get to, use would be low. Easy fix. I saved the form link to my phone home screen. Now whenever I have an idea I just open the form, fill out a few details then press enter and it’s automatically added to a spreadsheet.
Having a basic form on my phone means I can get it down and out of my head with minimal interruption to what I'm doing. Then, when I plan content for the month / quarter I have a massive list of things I've already come up (and likely would have forgotten). It has made a huge difference in the time and effort needed to plan content.
A similar solution may work for any ideas you need to follow up at a later date, but aren’t time critical. For tasks and things that I need to be reminded of on a daily basis I prefer a physical reminder. That's where my second method comes in...
📝 Physical
Use: For the things I need to be reminded of on a daily basis - to do, tasks etc. Having physical reminders means I'm constantly reminded and don't need to be online to see what I need to do
For these things I use mini post it notes (I have recently transitioned to reusable magnetic "post-its").
If I was to have a regular to-do list it would be hard to sort through what is really important and what needs to be done straight away, next week etc. With post-its I can move them around and reorder them, creating a backlog of things to do while keeping the top 3-4 things I'm focusing for the week in a prominent spot. For me that's a little white board on my desk which I see every day. The other post-its go on different board further away.
If you are someone who loves ticking off tasks it could also be great to keep each post it - once completed - in a a jar and at the end of the year you'll be able to see how much work you've actually gotten through 💥
Having these systems in place means I don't miss opportunities or forget anything (well, occasionally I still forget). The biggest benefit though is it's given me more mental space. I'm less #stressed and no longer #overwhelmed by everything I need to do.
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