What happened to those brilliant ideas that came in the middle of the night? The solution to a nagging problem that presented itself while you waited in line at the bank? Or that complete outline you developed for the next e-book bestseller during halftime at a high school football game? You know they were good ideas, some of them even inspired, so how did you manage to lose them? It is so frustrating to try unsuccessfully to remember a concept that, when originally conceived, was “unforgettable.”
Your brain is an amazing information processor, but you absolutely can not rely upon it to recall the hundreds of ideas that you have day in and day out. If you don’t create a method to jog your memory, you will sadly lose ideas that might ultimately mean the difference between a truly successful freelance career and a mediocre one. Even thoughts that you are sure are etched in your memory may vanish a short time later. The answer is simple. Immediately write down your ideas. Don’t depend on your memory. Create a mechanism for capturing your thoughts on paper. Carry cards or a notebook–anything small enough to conveniently jot down notes wherever you are. Even the back of an envelope will work in a pinch. You will be amazed at how little written information you need to bring back to mind an entire idea. Just a few key words or sentences will prove invaluable.
Next, set aside time to organize those thoughts.
Keeping a journal–a notebook of ideas–is most effective and can be done in innumerable ways. Here are a few options:
1. Purchase a blank journal
These are available at bookstores, card shops and through many on-line office supply stores. They range from inexpensive plain books to elaborate volumes with beautifully decorated covers and illustrated pages. The design is the window-dressing; the written ideas are the treasure.
2. Use a three-ring binder and notebook paper
This is my personal choice because it gives so much flexibility. It can be organized by date or by category. Additional pages can be added at any time an idea grows.
3. Craft a one of a kind journal
This is an option for those who are artistic and love the hands-on experience of making their own. Today there are so many beautiful papers available that the designs are unlimited.
4. Utilize your computer
Look at your software. Select the format that will work best for you. Even a simple text file is an option.
No matter what kind of journal you chose, take time to plan how you can simplify the process of locating the material later.
Color, drawing, underlining, or key words in the margins are great tools. Even months later you will be able to remember where an idea is located on the page, what color you highlighted it with and yes even the idea itself may be crystal clear. The process of recording your ideas actually reinforces them in your memory.
The design–the size, shape, color or format–of your journal is purely a personal choice
The key is to go ahead, make the decision and start a record of your thoughts. Not only will a journal help you capture your ideas; it will provide the history–an overview–of how your business has grown. Some of those initial ideas will have turned into solid elements of your freelance business. It’s exciting and a big confidence-builder to be able to follow your thinking processes and consequent business development over months and years.
So just remember the next time you’re caught in that daily traffic jam, on a plane to Chicago or a fast train to New York, make notes. Your original thoughts are priceless. Don’t waste a single one of them.