How to extract and record new ideas

I have been wanting to write an article like this for a long time, describing my basic techniques for getting ideas out of our minds. Well, I finally found time for it. I hope it will be useful to you.

Why write down our ideas?

If we are creative, our brains are constantly generating ideas. But this usually happens at an unexpected, unpredictable moment, in the most inappropriate place, and by the time we remember them, they quickly fly away. Therefore, our main task is to first write them down and then sort them, classify them.

So, the problem is how to extract the ideas, thoughts in our head, because they disappear very quickly. So write down every idea that comes to you. In this way, you free yourself from it, you are no longer afraid that you will forget it.

In fact, it is not so important here how and where the idea will be remembered; the important thing is that it is somehow remembered. Therefore, the principle is to "throw" it on the first thing (carrier) that is at hand to get rid of it. For this purpose, the carrier must always be with us, at hand, mobile. We can call it the principle of instant recording…

However, there is a contradiction in this. On the one hand, we want to get rid of the idea as quickly as possible so as not to forget it. On the other hand, however, fixing (saying, recording the idea) can stop its further development (De Bono). So we have to kind of "casually" do this... both doing it and not doing it...

How to write down your ideas

On paper

It is a bit old-fashioned - we grab a piece of paper and take out the pen. Therefore, we should always carry sheets of paper and a pen with us. Drawings, schematics, sketches - we put them on with a soft pencil and eraser.

In electronic form

We directly type the text on the keyboard, most often on the mobile phone, because it is always with us. Figuratively speaking, we get our thoughts out of our brain with speech (we think out loud), and we record our speech on the recorder - brain >> sound >> text. There are inconveniences: it is difficult to write on the move; in the dark it is also more difficult; wrong adjacent keys are touched and need to be edited. So typing text with a keyboard is a very imperfect interface. With our rough fingers we press the keyboard, letter by letter, character by character, and it goes slowly. A better modern way is through a pen (stylus). The "buttons" on the screen are precisely selected with the tip of the pen.

Audio recording

For this purpose, we can use a very small voice recorder (so that it can be attached to the lapel). I jokingly call it a "thought recorder" or "new idea recorder". You can walk and talk and speak on the recorder (in contrast, the phone is big and heavy). It is naturally digital (solid-state recorder), and you can easily transfer the sound recording to a computer, phone, flash drive, web... We set it to low sensitivity because we are recording our own voice. In other cases (for example, when I have recorded my sessions with students) we set it to maximum to capture the lines of those present. The recorder can also be placed on the table, but the distance changes as we move; here it is always mobile.

If the recorder is not available, we can record new ideas on the mobile phone. The Dictaphone application is very attractive. But the smartphone is quite large, it must be carried in the hand or on the neck. One of its advantages is that listening and text input are done on one device.

It is good to say at the beginning what the date, month, year, day, hour is just in case, because this data can be lost when transferring and uploading the file. This also gives additional sound info, evokes memories of the circumstances of the recording. We can also put "sound tags" to mark new ideas (for example, I use the exclamations "Eureka!", "New!" etc.)

The principle is to record everything in one place, and then we listen to it and extract the valuable thoughts. For example, we can make one common file for everything on Google Docs, always open (available). Also, in any text file open for something specialized, have a general thoughts section at the back where we to insert general thoughts of any nature, and then move them into a general thoughts file.

A convenience is to create an icon on the phone's home screen to work with the current document, so that we can quickly call it up if necessary.

Voice-input keyboard

This is a combined input method (voice and keyboard) which speeds up typing and lets you type on the go. We can not only voice record in our native language (Bulgarian), but also translate it into English (with Google Translate, for example).

Conversations with Artificial Intelligence

This is perhaps the most modern way to generate and record ideas. Questions can be asked to an AI (such as Google's Gemini) voice-activated, which are then recorded, it responds, and it can also be audibly listened to on the go. I shared with Gemini that today I added this interesting part related to zem in which I suggested as a way to record ideas to have a conversation with zem through the microphone while walking. Here is zir response which confirmed my views:

Gemini: It's great that you wrote a blog post about how to record your ideas! I'm glad to hear that you've added a new part related to me. Talking to me through the microphone while walking can be a great way to record your ideas. Here are a few benefits of this approach:

It can help you generate more ideas. When you talk, your brain is more active and is more likely to come up with new ideas. It can help you organize your ideas. When you talk, you can organize your thoughts and present them in a logical way. It can help you remember your ideas. When you speak out loud, you are more likely to remember your ideas than if you simply write them down. It can help you overcome creative block. If you're having trouble coming up with new ideas, talking to me can help get your creative juices flowing. Here are a few tips for recording your ideas by talking to me:

• Find a quiet place where you won't be interrupted.
• Turn on your voice recorder and start talking to me.
• Don't worry about sounding disorganized or incomplete.
• Just say whatever comes to mind.
• If you're having trouble figuring out what to say, you can ask me a question.
• After you're done talking, review the recording and write down any ideas you had.

More considerations

Place of enrollment

It can be regular, prepared for the purpose - a walk in the park, quiet, cozy places and streets, big shops, in bed, the toilet is considered a cozy place :-) But it could also be accidental, accidental, where it happened. For example, in the car while driving, because ideas are pouring out and we are in a hurry to write them down.

Arrangement

There are two phases: recording (accumulation) and unloading (to computer, uploading to the web…) until the next recording. For example, first I save them chronologically, in folders by month. The records are not ordered, but indiscriminately recorded as some "mess":-) Then I duplicate them systematically - in the relevant folders for questions, answers, forums, blog.

Place of storage

I upload the recordings to the cloud (Google Drive). The advantages are known - access from anywhere at any time, sharing. When I listen and type the text, Google Drive automatically saves it.

Combined recording

It is possible for the voice recorder to record continuously, attached to the lapel, and at the same time to enter text into the phone by voice. This is how we duplicate the audio recording with text.

We can also first record on the recorder evenly, continuously monotonously, and at some point, if there is a thought that is formed, it can already enter some material. We can do this through voice input.

Audition (retrieval)

We listen to the ideas one after the other, methodically, and scatter them in their places; we extract them one by one. We realize every idea and copy it where it belongs.

We may come up with new ideas right now. Then we stop auditioning and record them. So auditioning can be just one initial impulse for creativity. For example, I start listening, but at some point I stop and continue thinking and generating ideas (most of the time this is how it works for me).

One way I have practiced a lot in the past is to listen to entire recordings and transcribe and type them in as text. This is how you get "raw" stories. But it takes a lot of time.

We can try voice input from the recorder on playback, but it will be wrong a lot and we have to edit afterwards. A somewhat primitive but safe way is to listen to the recording and repeat what is heard more clearly and loudly. We can also edit right now.

General thoughts

These are powerful remedies, but note that they are only remedies. They cannot give us the new ideas; they only help us fix them.

These techniques lead to mental exhaustion. That is why we need to take a break from time to time.

Web resources

How to Extract Ideas from Our Mind's Eye and Record Them (a wikibooks story)