Wouldn’t it be nice if we never forgot anything? Well…you can. Are you ready for the secret? It’s deep, so brace yourself…here it is…

WRITE IT DOWN

I know super profound right? Actually, it is. The majority of people do not write down their ideas and therefore they disappear. Earl Nightingale said, “Ideas are elusive, slippery things. Best to keep a pad of paper and a pencil at your bedside, so you can stab them during the night before they get away.” Many revolutionary ideas have been lost in the wasteland of unwritten possibilities. I would venture to say that almost everyone has had a forgotten idea that could have changed the course of their life dramatically. The stakes are high when it comes to not writing down our ideas. One of the greatest lies you tell yourself is, “You don’t need to write it down…you’ll remember this.”

Every great innovator leaves a trail of notebooks that are filled with notes, ideas, inventions, drawings, phrases, questions, and more! The questions is what are your notebooks filled with? Or maybe I should start by asking do you have notebooks? I must confess to you I have over 10 notebooks for different categories of my life. It is extremely crazy when I have to carry multiple shoulder Fifth Collection Chanel bags when I go places, at least they are fashionable. But if I want to have access to my stuff I need the notebooks. I have devised a cleaver plan though…when I don’t have all my notebooks I do carry one notebook scratchpad that I write down all my ideas and then file them later into the correct notebook when I have access to all of them. On top of ALL these notebooks I also use Evernote on my computer to file ideas. You may ask why I don’t just use the computer to file everything. The answer is I still like having the feel of a physical notebook and can’t give it up completely. I do however transfer the best of the best in my notebooks to my digital system. It is a lot of work, but it is worth every minute of it. I have used my notes more than you can possibly imagine.

Here are 3 tips for you in order to not forget anything…

1) Invest In A Notebook You Like

You will not write down your ideas if you don’t like your system. I have literally searched and still search for the perfect notebooks. I have several different ones that I use (Moleskine, Piccadilly). You have to like your notebook in order to follow through with note taking. You will never be disciplined unless you have a unique notebook that you remember and like to use. I use different notebooks and different colors for different categories of my life. You may just want one, or a few, but I like mine to be very specific. The most important thing is you invest into a notebook that you take with you everywhere, so make sure you like it and like how it feels and looks.

2) Write Down Everything

Don’t be picky when it comes to what you write down. If you talk yourself out of writing it down you won’t write anything down. Make sure you file experiences, ideas, notes, thoughts, information into your notebook. Don’t tell yourself you’ll write it down later…YOU WON’T! You have to write it down as soon as it comes onto your radar. The longer you wait to write it down the more you’ll forget. Don’t tell yourself it’s not that important just get it out first then determine its value later.

3) Have A System

When you write down your ideas make sure you have a good system to untangle your thoughts. Writing down one word or vague ideas will not work. Why? Because you won’t remember what you were thinking at the time. You must be descriptive and thorough. Don’t make yourself have to guess and work hard to figure out what your notes were all about. Have a system that works for you. Draw a picture to go along with your note, give examples of your ideas if you can, write down where the seed thought came from so you can go back and trace the process. Write in sentences, not abstracts.

4) Review Your Notebook Periodically

It does no good to write something down then never go back and remember it. Make sure you go back every so often and keep the ideas fresh in your mind. You never know when an old idea will be exactly what you need in the moment. Some of my best ideas came from reviewing my old ideas from long ago. Not every idea will mean much in the moment, but it may come around later and be a perfect fit for your current situation. Make sure you spend some time reflecting on the things you write down. Reflective thinking creates opportunity for the future.