How to capture ideas when it is not appropriate to pull out your pen and pad?

AlanS

Registered
I find myself coming up with some great ideas while sitting in church listening to the services. How do I collect those thoughts without appearing rude by pulling out my notepad to write them down?
 

Longstreet

Professor of microbiology and infectious diseases
Okay....good question, but this really made me LOL. One could say.....you should be paying attention. :D ;) Be in the moment....

With that said, we cannot control when ideas pop into our heads. I would have a small notepad --and quickly write a quick note. No paragraphs. I do this just about everywhere.
 

bcmyers2112

Registered
I would suggest not trying to capture thoughts at times when it would be inappropriate or unsafe. One of the things I like about GTD is that it acknowledges that sometimes life comes at you too quickly to keep up, which is why the weekly review is so useful. A good mindsweep should uncover anything that slipped through the cracks during the week.

Don't worry about being perfect with capture. The perfect is the enemy of the good. Just do your best to capture when and where you can.
 

Oogiem

Registered
AlanS said:
I find myself coming up with some great ideas while sitting in church listening to the services. How do I collect those thoughts without appearing rude by pulling out my notepad to write them down?

Why is it rude to acknowledge your divine inspirations in a place where you review and evaluate your place in the world and your tasks to accomplish?

I'd pull out the notepad and write away.
 

vutpakdi

Registered
Do you use a standard sized notepad? If so, would something smaller be sufficiently less obtrusive for a quick jotted note?

I keep a collapsible keyring pen and custom printed "blank" business cards on me for quick notes.

Ron
 

CJSullivan

Registered
Oogiem said:
Why is it rude to acknowledge your divine inspirations in a place where you review and evaluate your place in the world and your tasks to accomplish?

I'd pull out the notepad and write away.

Couldn't have said it any better! I TOTALLY agree...!
 

curtis

Registered
HI Alan. In my church, they give us a bulletin for writing notes during the message. I've written lists/notes to capture and while i'm not sure anyone is watching me, but if they did, they'd think I was writing points on the pastors sermon. I don't know if your church/parish or whatever your affiliated with uses the paper bulletin, but I've found it works great for me. Hope this helps.
 

arunkw

Registered
Hi Alan,
t's not at all rude to write in church.
I was going to ask you to use dictaphone, but that will be rude to use in church. - I was using it for some time, but while commuting people were giving me weird looks .
As per GTD we are not supposed to stop thoughs -
We are suppose to put world on pause button (it should not matter where you are?) and capture the thoughts
. It's a discipline we have to develop.
Weird confession - when I 1st heard GTD, it was using audio book. I was travelling from one city to another in a bus at night and in that pitch dark night (with no read lights on seat), I was capturing my thoughts one after another on a pocket notepad without looking at it. Bet, my to-dos were in bad handwriting but I got the aaha moment.
Now if you still think that writing in church will be rude, then ;).... you should learn morse code, start you smart phone and start tapping it to give your morse inputs.
- Arun Kumar
 

stagasaurus

Registered
I have this while driving. I'll be driving along, listening to music or an audio book and *pop!* a creative idea appears in my brain. I don't have a dictaphone so I try to remember two words as a snapshot of the idea. Until I can get to my notepad. Two words seems enough. Amazing how "albino pigeon" or "new desk" is enough to bring the whole idea back.
 

AlanS

Registered
Thank you everyone for the suggestions! I will see what seems to feel right and work with it until I get something usable going.
 

Dave Edwards

Registered
Funny that you used the example of church. Happens to me all the time. My wife isn't thrilled but I use my Notetaker wallet to make a brief one or two word note.

If I'm driving, I use Siri to send me an email.
 

AlanS

Registered
DaveInMilwaukee said:
Funny that you used the example of church. Happens to me all the time. My wife isn't thrilled but I use my Notetaker wallet to make a brief one or two word note.

If I'm driving, I use Siri to send me an email.
I used Church because that tends to be when the ideas come to me. We have two teenage children which we are trying to set good examples for and I am sure my wife would be a bit ticked if I pull out my electronic note taker (i.e. cell phone), but I think I will try the idea of either blank business or 3x5 cards to write on. Then I will see what kind of looks I get from my family and others.
 

TesTeq

Registered
AlanS said:
We have two teenage children which we are trying to set good examples for and I am sure my wife would be a bit ticked if I pull out my electronic note taker (i.e. cell phone), but I think I will try the idea of either blank business or 3x5 cards to write on. Then I will see what kind of looks I get from my family and others.

1. You think that notetaking is a good habit. Yes?
2. You and your wife are trying to set good examples for your children. Yes?
3. You think that your wife would be a bit ticked off when you set a good example for your children by notetaking on the spot... I don't get it.
 

Gardener

Registered
AlanS said:
I used Church because that tends to be when the ideas come to me. We have two teenage children which we are trying to set good examples for and I am sure my wife would be a bit ticked if I pull out my electronic note taker (i.e. cell phone), but I think I will try the idea of either blank business or 3x5 cards to write on. Then I will see what kind of looks I get from my family and others.

I'm wondering why not a little notebook? Not that it's remotely any of my business, but I'm just curious.
 

Rosendo

GTD Connect
Instead of receiving negative feedback when I take my small notepad to write something down, most of the time I receive positive feedback such as "I love that habit ..." or " that is why you never forget anything !" . It totally depends on where, when and who is around you. In any case, I feel like teaching all those around me something very valuable for them. Isn't it ? So, I usually trust my decisión on bringing out that small notepad .... If you feel you have to write an idea, just do it. That is the most important thing to do. Do not let it go...
 
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