Putting in Idea Pockets - Capture and Keep All the Brilliant Ideas You Can Generate

As a professional, you need as many ideas as you can possibly generate (or capture). Don't let the good ones get away. This article gives you specific means for generating and then capturing all the great ideas you come up with--no matter where you are. This will ensure that you have "pockets" of ideas when you need them.

To create your idea pockets, you must be ready to snag any and all ideas as they occur, because sometimes when you need a good idea, it doesn't come then. (Darn it!)

At any given moment (some of which are more convenient than others), ideas will come to you. Some of these ideas are major, some are minor, but when you don't capture the ideas, they whirl around in your head. This not only diverts your attention away from the other work or pleasure on which you need to be focusing but it's also risky to ignore them because they might not come back!  Try one or more of these ideas for capturing your ideas as they're occurring, so you have them for later processing:

1. When you're at your desk, write down ideas on pieces of paper and drop them into your inbox for later processing.  You don't have to 'do' anything with the ideas yet...you just have to make sure they are captured for later consideration and implementation.   
2. Have an "idea" tab in your planner (or your PDA). Write down incoming ideas in a designated spot.  Just pick a place and use it for ideas.  That's easy enough, isn't it?  
3. Call and leave yourself voicemail messages. I do it all the time when I'm driving (a prime time for ideas to arrive, unbidden!)   
4. Record ideas on a voice or digital recorder. There are tiny ones available and many cell phones also have this feature.  Remember, whatever is handy - use it to capture the idea.   
5. Send yourself email. If the idea pops into your head when you are working on email, just send one to yourself with the idea.  Don't stop all of your other work to think about the idea or expand on it...just send yourself the email with the idea.   
6. Keep a pad nearby that you love to write on and delight in jotting down thoughts and ideas as they come to you.  I am a big fan of great paper.  It inspires me to write.  If you've never been to www.Levenger.com, check it out.  Their paper is amazingly inspirational.   
7. Snag one of the omnipresent post-it notes that are around--or keep a small packet of them in a pocket or pouch. Later, you can flesh out the idea but for now, you just need to get it written down.  
8. Invest in the perfect pen so you'll have a positive feeling about the idea as you write it down.  You may be like me in that you are on a quest for the ideal pen...get whatever your favorite one is now so you delight in writing down ideas. 

These are all reasonably simple ideas to put into practice - and they work if you want to 'pocket' good ideas for your own use now or in the future!

Pockets are "the difference between calm and chaos." To receive weekly tips about putting pockets into your life, just go to

** http://pumpernickelpublishing.com

where you can sign up to receive one tip per week in one or more of the following series:
**Tips: Putting Pockets in Your Personal Life
**Tips: Putting Pockets in Your Professional Life
**Tips: Putting Pockets of Time and Energy into Your Life as a Teacher

(c) 2009 by Meggin McIntosh, Ph.D., "The Ph.D. of Productivity"(tm)

Through her company, Emphasis on Excellence, Inc., Meggin McIntosh changes what people know, feel, dream, and do via seminars, workshops, writing, coaching, & consulting. Visit her site: http://www.meggin.com for tons of free resources.

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