One of the tenets of GTD is to write everything down, capture all your thoughts on a paper or in some trusted system, and not leave any thoughts/ideas in your mind. This first step in GTD eliminates a lot of stress, because your psyche no more requires energy and attention to track and maintain them in your mind. Below are a few tips on ubiquitous capture:
- use tools you love & want to use – digital or paper or any combination of both
- make tools ubiquitous – one to carry around with you, and one at every place you spend most time in – home/office, etc.
- keep the tools handy – if it takes too much time to take it out, you’ll end up not using the tool at all
- jot down ideas immediately lest you forget
- capture it all – go for quantity – don’t judge if the idea has merit, capture everything
- create your own code – use symbols, abbreviations or any other notations to speed up your note taking
- write enough: write the ‘why?’ Don’t just write ‘call john’, but write ‘call john re: plumbing’. What’s the use writing if you forget ‘why’ you wanted yo do it in the first place? add contexts to your notes
- don’t process while capturing
This post is a part of "GTD Tips" series. Click on the link to to view the other tips: GTD
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