How to trap the thoughts floating through your brain

Random ideas are always floating through my head. Does that happen to you, too?

I like to trap them, to catch them in the moment so I can come back to them, build on them, and never forget them.

Enter Evernote.

Behind that cute little “elephants never forget” icon lies a powerful application into which you can save any type of idea or reference: text notes, images, websites, PDFs, and more. All in a way that makes it easy to find things later, and that syncs across devices.

Unfortunately, these ideas often pop up in moments when I can’t write anything down, like while I’m having a shower or while driving. But as soon as possible, I can pick up my phone and dash off the idea in Evernote, relieving my brain of the pressure to remember.

Now, I’m well aware that Evernote is not the only notes app out there. In fact, Apple comes with a native app, Notes, that allows you to do many of the same things. But I have to say that I’ve pretty much grown out of it, as I needed the more robust Evernote. While I still occasionally use Notes for small things, I really felt the need to be able to organise my notes into folders, and gather together different types of media into various categories.

It’s actually also replaced a word processor for me. 99% of the time, I’m drafting text to use online (like this very email!), and rarely do I require a word processing application anymore. So it really is a great all-rounder app.

For more Evernote help, check out their support page.

I’m sure I don’t even know everything about this handy little tool yet. Do you use it? Have any tips and tricks? Leave a comment below to let me know!