Comments on: Capturing the best ideas for your business

By: Becky McCray

Becky McCray — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 23:34:18 +0000

Dan, thanks for sharing what works for you.

By: Downtown Dan

Downtown Dan — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 10:42:58 +0000

I've always used notecards for leads. They're easy to flip through and encourages you to be following up if you organized them properly.

My To-Do list is organized on a notepad that sits right next to my keyboard. The simple act of writing down a task gives me a greater sense of urgency to complete the item. I flag important emails so I don't have to hunt them down and they show up under "tasks" in Outlook, but I still make a note to follow-up on my list.

Lastly, I leave notepads EVERYWHERE! Next to my bed, in the bathroom (don't ideas always come to you in the shower?!), in the car, and on the coffee table. When an idea comes to me, I immediately stop what I'm doing and make a note of it. I have a bad enough memory as it is, so if I don't write it down that ideas is gone!

That's my strategy. I love reading and hearing about what strategies work for others or ways to improve upon my existing strategy. Thanks for the great info Becky!

By: Matt

Matt — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 06:30:46 +0000

Good point, always handy to have a few small notepads around, take one everywhere I go.

By: Raul Colon

Raul Colon — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 21:16:52 +0000

Becky,

Thanks... I guess like you mentioned in your post it is about looking for something that works for you.

By: Becky McCray

Becky McCray — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 20:39:03 +0000

Raul, sounds like you have a workable system. You’re putting ideas into action or discarding them. Quite efficient.

By: Raul Colon

Raul Colon — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 20:20:00 +0000

This sounds excellent. I stay away from bookmarks I carry a small pack of sticky notes when I am reading a book. I use the sticky note as a book marker every time I find something worth jotting down I write it on the Sticky note and then do the same until I finish the book.

Now that I am reading more e-books I normally keep notes in the ebook and after I finish every book I go back and grab the main points.

If I learned anything of value I usually update any marketing material such as presentations on the spot with what I got from the book keeping most of my presentations fresh and updated.

I guess there are many electronic tools but sometimes having a tangible reminder can spark some great ideas.

By: Becky McCray

Becky McCray — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 18:30:45 +0000

Darrell, voice recognition is great! For this particular trick (having a file full of promotional ideas to pull from when you need them), it's best to keep on idea per note, no matter what format you're using.

As for how I capture all the info want I want to save from online, I use Evernote. The more I use it, the more it pays me back.

By: Darrell

Darrell — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 18:00:31 +0000

Hi Becky
This is so timely as we start a new year, I tend to use voice recognition to document my thoughts. It is easier and my ideas flow more clearly.

How do you capture all the information youn want to keep from online and other sources?

By: Becky McCray

Becky McCray — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 01:11:31 +0000

Robin, you have exactly the right idea: do it the way that works for you. Your brain must be really percolating!

By: Robin Dickinson

Robin Dickinson — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 20:22:24 +0000

Hi Becky, thank you for this post. I used to use 3×5 cards, but now use an Excel Spreadsheet on my desk top. The reason for this is that I come up with so many ideas – 100’s per week. The card system became too hard to manage and a little expensive. I must admit, it’s not as much fun scrolling down Excel rows compared to reviewing my 3×5 cards, but it’s vastly more efficient in my specific situation – and searchable too. Does that make sense?

Best, Robin