How to Stop Idea “Leaks”
This post is centered for bloggers, but anyone can benefit from it. It pertains to the topic of capturing an idea. As a blogger, writing everyday can be hard, or even writing consistently can be hard. As time wears on new ideas are harder and harder to come by. Many bloggers find them selves constantly at a loss for new ideas.
When a new idea about what to write about, it is a jewel. It is literally worth money, because posts are the lifeblood or your blog (which can be a great income source). This post will focus on capturing that idea so it doesn’t fly away.
In terms of how to save an idea, there are a few ways that I use and have found very useful in capturing ideas if your on the go:
Write it down: If you have a piece of paper near you, write down the idea. The paper could be scrap paper or on the back of a card, but just capture the essence of the idea in a few simple words. For example, when I came up with the idea for this post, I wrote down, “How to not forget good ideas”. This paper can then allow you to transfer the idea into a post or a draft.
Call it in: Honestly, many of you may not use your voicemail this way, but it is a great place to store ideas. Just leave yourself a short message explaining the idea for the post. Later that night when you pick up your message, you’ll hear your idea and be refreshed about its content.
Email it: If your at a computer, email it to yourself. Write down a few keywords or a quick paragraph and fire it off. This way you can refer back to it if you’re on the go.
Tell a friend: If you have someone you can talk to and none of the above methods are available. Ask them to remember it. There is a much greater chance that two people will remember one idea rather than just one person remembering that idea.
Ideas get lost or fly away all the time. There is no method that can 100% eliminate this. The methods outlined above should help eliminate this idea “leakage” and help you keep in the zone about your great ideas. Do you guys have any other techniques you use?
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I agree always right down ideas but telling your friends i dont think is good idea cause they might steal it lol ~Nick~
Then they aren’t great friends. By friends I usually mean unrelated co workers or the sort, those that would be happy to store your idea but have nothing to benefit from it.
Yeah, I think we all wear down every now and again, but then I find something interesting and it makes me want to post. I keep my cell phone with me all the time so I just text myself with the idea so I don’t forget.
Good tips, BTW.
If you don’t know how to text the voicemail is a viable option
Thanks Jon
Or, if you are like me, have a personal plus several selective niche (Gaming, Blogging, Wisdom) then you would have an extremely wide range of topics to blog about.
Quite impossible to run dry of ideas to blog about, just need to manage the time wisely.
Another problematic issue is that they all say that non-nichie blogs is often quite hard if not impossible to succeed.
I am attempting to do the impossible and see how far I can go.
Well, Deimos, I bet you can do it if you work hard! Time management and hard work are the keys to success. As well as not giving up…..
In terms of ideas you’re in a lucky boat. Many find it hard to find new quality niche subjects to blog about on a consistent basis.
I use a notebook all the time, quite the lifesaver and relieves the mind so I can stay focused on the task at hand.
I carry a Moleskine around with me to write notes in and when my hands aren’t free, I use a number system. I just remember the amount of ideas I came up with and that usually triggers the rest.
@ Stephan - I would love to hear more about that number system, do you mean you write down a number/idea. Or do you mean you write down a number and a keyword or two…. I’m not quite clear there.
Hmmm. All my posts are still experimental as I still have to know which area should I focus - newbie indeed! LOL. But in making sure some ideas won’t leak, I grab my mobile phone and send myself a ‘text’ or SMS message.
Best of all, I say, is my cell phone recording system. I admit I don’t blog often, but I have about 25 great posts recorded on my cell phone. Driving around in the car by yourself, seeing the world and listening to the radio is always a great environment for new fresh ideas so then pick up the cell phone and start rambling, it’s only you and yourself in the car, you can talk for dozens of minutes.
–Ted
@bloggista - yup, mobile phones are the new pen and paper….
@Ted- 25 ideas, wow, you are an idea fountain my friend. I agree a good work environment helps generate better ideas, but sometimes the best come to you out of no where.
“e-mail it”
*laughs* You must be following me around. I send myself e-mails all the time, from work to home and home to work. It’s my main reminder system.
Jodith, in a world where email is more and more accessible, it becomes even more handy than a pen and paper. It is probably tied for my first most used tactic for recording ideas.
I write it down with pen and paper, or write an e-note in my cellphone. Simple, and time-saving.