Capture your thoughts (before they disappear)

This is old, simple, and basic advice — and 97.9% of the people I know ignore it.

Namely: Always have a pen and pad on you to write things down.

What things?

All the things important enough that you want to capture them for later reference . . .

Things you see.

Things you read.

Things you hear.

Observations.

Ideas that form as a result of deliberate pondering.

Thoughts that pop randomly into your brain.

Questions you have.

And any answers that come into your mind.

When you think of something, write it down.

Why is having a pad and pen for capturing these ideas important?

Well, you encounter, imagine, or think of ideas, information, and things you want to do, make, or experience all the time.

But if you don’t write down the important ones, you will soon forget them.

And once you forget, then a great opportunity, wonderful experience, or clever solution may be lost to you forever.

And you’ll kick yourself for it.

So have a pad and pen handy — always.

Now, I know of you may be thinking: “I have a smart phone, Bob. So what do I need a pen and paper for?”

Well, by all means, use the tool or medium you prefer: pen and paper, smartphone, tablet, digital recorder, crayon, laptop, quill and parchment, chisel and stone, or whatever.

The only tool you can’t and should not depend on is the most fragile: the human memory.

Do not leave things to memory — and risk having a brilliant, valuable idea, thought, action plan, or notion vanish into the ether.

Always write it down. Always.

Also, when you encounter something online you want to remember, don’t just copy it to your hard drive — also print a hard copy.

Then tape the printout to your wall, pin it to a bulletin board, or file it in your file cabinet — either alphabetically or just one current folder labeled “ideas.”

You’ll be glad you did.

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Robert W. Bly is a freelance copywriter and marketing consultant with 3 decades of experience in business-to-business, high-tech, and direct marketing. He is the first AXIOMS EXPERT at Kallisti Publishing Inc.