Capturing and Developing Ideas: Brainstorming in a Notes App

How to catch fleeting ideas, grow them into workable plans and decide which to pursue, using tags, headings and simple brainstorming techniques.

Good ideas are slippery. They arrive in the shower, on a walk or halfway through another task, and vanish minutes later. A reliable way of capturing them and revisiting them is one of the most useful habits you can build.

Capture first, judge later

The first rule of idea capture is not to filter. Write down everything, however silly it seems. Judging too early kills creativity, and the odd idea often turns out to be the best.

An "Ideas" system

Create a single note called "Ideas inbox" where you add lines quickly, or use a tag such as idea on individual notes. Add a date, and a few words of context.

12 Oct: Monthly neighbourhood swap event for books and plants
14 Oct: App for tracking pet vaccinations (?)
18 Oct: Blog post: what I learned from moving abroad

Review weekly

Once a week, read through your ideas. For each one, decide:

Discard: it no longer excites you.
Keep: it's interesting, but not yet actionable.
Develop: you'd like to explore it further.
Do: you're ready to start.

Developing an idea

For ideas worth developing, create a dedicated note with headings:

Idea: Book and plant swap The problem or opportunity: People have too many books and cuttings, and few places to share Who it's for: Neighbours How it might work: Monthly meet-up in the park What I need: Venue, permission, poster, helpers Risks and unknowns: Weather, turnout First small step: Ask three neighbours if they'd come

The "first small step" turns an idea into action.

Brainstorming techniques

Brain dump: set a timer for five minutes and list as many ideas as possible.
Mind-map list: write the main idea, then branch into related ideas, using indented bullets.
"What if" questions: ask what if this were cheaper, bigger, smaller, faster or for a different audience?
Opposites: consider the reverse of the usual approach.
Combine ideas: mix two unrelated ideas, and see what emerges.
Constraints: limit time or budget to force creativity.

Working with others

Collect suggestions from friends or colleagues in a shared conversation, and add them to your note. Ask for reactions before they're fully formed.

Give ideas time

Some ideas need to sit. Read them again after a week or a month. Time often makes the good ones stand out, and the poor ones look weaker.

Test small

Before investing heavily, test the idea in a small way: a prototype, a survey, a conversation. Write down what you learn.

Keep private what's private

If an idea is confidential, such as a business plan, lock the note.

Celebrate the idea graveyard

Not every idea will be pursued. That's fine. An archive of discarded ideas is a source of inspiration, and sometimes a discarded idea becomes useful later.

Common mistakes

Waiting to record ideas until you have time.
Judging ideas too early.
Never reviewing them.
Never taking a first step.

Capture ideas fast with EasyNotes →