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Brain Dumping: Creating a method for organizing what's in your head
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When ideas come to mind, what do you do with them? Most people will grab a piece of paper or a sticky note and begin jotting things down. Do you have a follow-up plan for that small piece of paper? Or does it just sit there, getting moved around, eventually getting covered up, lost or forgotten?
Having a "system" in place to capture ideas, thoughts or things you don't want to forget is helpful in storing and more importantly retrieving and acting upon at a later date. Here are a few methods for capturing ideas and thoughts that threaten your ability to stay focused:
- Keep a notebook on your desk specifically designated for capturing To-Do items, ideas, or reminders that pop into your head. As things come to mind, grab it and jot away. Take this notebook with you to meetings as well as when you're out of the office on business trips.
- Record items electronically, using the Task feature in MS® Outlook or the To Do feature in Lotus Notes. This works great when you're sitting at your desk, working on a project, and something that isn't even related to your project pops into your head. You can quickly record it electronically and immediately return to your project.
If you happen to be away from your computer or your notebook, grab your Smartphone. You can email yourself a message or send a voicemail to your work phone. Either way you've captured the idea and can now get back to whatever you were working on.
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