Ideas for blog posts can come anytime and anywhere- from when you’re driving home from work, to while you’re in the shower, to waking you in the middle of the night. The first thing to do? Write it down. Here are some methods to store your ideas, so you never forget a great one!
In a notebook
This is great for quickly scribbling down ideas that hit you at a busy time. Because I fancy myself a fiction writer, and I suffer from notebook addiction, I’ve been doing this for a long time, writing story ideas down in various blank books I leave around the house. Since I started professional blogging, I’ve been writing blog post ideas down as well. I have a particular fondness for Moleskine and Rhodia notebooks, but anything will do, really. Always keep a pen or two nearby.
In a PDA or mobile phone
When I’m out, I find having to fish out a pen and notebook too unwieldy- and that’s when noting ideas down in my (ancient Treo 680) PDA is perfect. Most mobile phones have “Notes” sections, but in a pinch I’ve been known to write a text message containing my idea, and saving it in Drafts or Saved Messages.
In your PC
Your options when it comes to software are many. If you use a PDA as above, you might want to use something that syncs automatically- or consider one of these applications:
- Stickies is built-in to OSX on the Mac, and it doesn’t get much simpler than this. Its quick, its free, easy to use, and customizable. There are also lots of Windows versions, from free to paid, available for download (e.g. Notezilla or Neat Note.
- For something a little more powerful, look for “virtual notebook”-esque applications, such as Mori for the Mac or Delphinus Notes for Windows.
Online
If you already use an online solution for documents (such as Google Docs or Zoho), this might be the best bet for you. Not only can you share your ideas with collaborators, you’ll be able to access them from anywhere with an internet connection.
The truth is, I use all of the above- notebooks, my PDA, my mobile phone, Stickies… and then collect them all in Google Docs.
How do you store your blog ideas?