Comments on: Overloaded With Ideas

By: Stephanie Booth

Stephanie Booth — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 20:36:08 +0000

I suffer from idea overload almost every single day. And it's not just that I have ideas for things when I cannot carry them out — it's more that I simply have too many ideas and desires to carry out in the time I have here on earth.

So, what do I do?

For some things like blog post ideas, I have a note in evernote that I add to. Sometimes ideas in there die, and I delete them — or I carry them out, and I delete them

For other things like bigger projects or ideas… Well, I've accepted that I just have to let most of them go. I can't do everything.

Another thing I do is post what I consider to be half-baked blog posts. If I have an idea about something but no time to dig into it, I'll do a quick and dirty blog post about it. Either I'll come back to it one day, or somebody will pick it up, but at least like that it's not completely lost.
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By: Brian Miller

Brian Miller — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 14:51:11 +0000

reQall iPhone app…converts your voice message to text…great for leaving reminders or memos when you can't write it down (while driving) but want it in text format

By: Ivan Tolmachev

Ivan Tolmachev — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 06:15:40 +0000

oh boy, just to think of all of the ideas I have lost )

By: paul

paul — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 08:49:03 +0000

to be honest i reckon ive lost a billion amazing ideas! the problem that i have had in the past is not writing them down and becoming lost forever. but if its design wise its good to get a sketch down colours etc.

By: john

john — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:31:27 +0000

I tried the sketchbook (Moleskin) and would always forget it. I tried sticky notes and now I am using the notes app on my iPhone. I usually end up with stacks or pages of useless ideas and the good ones get lost in the abyss. I really like Paula's idea of the camera. I am going to try that!

By: Paula

Paula — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 06:10:04 +0000

I actually carry my sketchbook around with me. Generally in my sketchbook, there are lists of ideas and quick sketches. There a few doodles in the margins. I'm also working on carrying a camera so that if I see something that inspires me to write a blog entry or to design a poster, I can capture it and recall it later. At work, I write everything down on post its. Post-its, many times, are misplaced between my job and home.

By: Anna Baur

Anna Baur — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:57:15 +0000

Also, don’t be afraid to use it for everything from grocery lists to logo sketches… it’ll feel more like home that way. The important stuff will still take priority.

By: Anna Baur

Anna Baur — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:55:09 +0000

I start my moleskine with several pages titled “Vital Notes” (mostly for very sudden networking opportunities where I don’t want to flip pages), then a 3-4 month weekly planner template right after that. The rest is left for notes (I write a lot in a few months!), and I use a couple sticky tab dividers to separate the sections. All of that does a lot toward breaking it in and getting rid of intimidating newness.

Also, I recently switched from the plain paper moleskine to the grid paper, and I would never go back. I thought it would be too restrictive, but it just adds an attractive level of order. I can still sketch over lines if I need to. I also use one of those dorky four-color pens to organize and keep things visually interesting, and last but not least, I leave no inch of page uncovered – these things are like journals for me, and there’s a pleasantness to seeing a notebook so full.

By: Renee

Renee — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:20:36 +0000

I just bought a red moleskine before my wedding to keep all of my Ribbons of Red thoughts or “big ideas” in—for personal more than client related. I am so bad about scribbling on scrap paper: old bills, envelopes, wrappers from food, and while it looks cool, I either lose them or they clutter up my workspace and I throw them away. Any tips for getting in the habit of using the moleskine? I have a terrible phobia of writing in a new notebook—they all look so awesome until my chicken scratch gets in it. Hahaha!

By: Renee

Renee — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:15:50 +0000

HA! I just had this discussion with Ryan (my husband) last night at dinner. I unloaded about a gazillion things I wanted to do (things design related and hobby things that keep me a sane, creative being). Whenever I have a ton of ideas and no time to do them, I seriously feel like I’m going crazy. I always explain it as feeling “claustrophobic” within myself. Nothing really helps me, except a good nights sleep or achieving the goals. I think it’s just one of the curses of being a creative. Plus, I’m rather impatient, so I want all 100 ideas I just thought of to be done in 24 hours—which is never possible and makes things worse! Haha. We’re going to start setting aside one night a week (maybe more if it’s successful) to focus on our lists of wants and to do’s. Might be a good idea for you too?

PS – Digging this new comment plug-in you’re using!