Sometimes our brains don't always give us the answers we need when and where we need them. The solution for that project your working on pop's into your head while brushing your teeth or that gift idea for your spouses birthday comes to you while walking the dog. If we all had photographic memory's this would not be a problem but for most of us this is not the case. What we need is a quick and easy way to capture these thoughts as they arise. One of the best ways I've found is with what Merlin Mann calls the Hipster PDA. Basically a pen and a pile of index cards held together by a bull clip. My greener version of this is to use scrap paper which has previously been printed on one side and cut into convenient size bundles. I keep one in my car, one in my coat pocket and a number of them scattered around the house in strategic places. That way when an idea pop's into my head I can write it down before its forgotten. These notes can then be sorted and dealt with when and where they are required. Voice recorders and cellphone cameras come in handy as well when needing to capture information for future use. Another idea is to use Evernotes, a unique cross platform application which supports adding and accessing notes from your cellphone, web browsers and desktop. This free application just might be the closest thing to a universal capture tool next to the pen and paper.
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