Write That Idea Down
Photo credit: dreamstime.com
I have this habit of getting an idea, convincing myself it’s brilliant, and then deciding that I’ll write it down when I’m less busy. And it’s hardly ever just an idea. Sometimes, it’s a whole breakdown of thoughts, a series of possibilities, how things could work, what could be improved, and about ten other things my brain has managed to connect in the space of a few minutes.
But because I have an unreasonable amount of confidence in my ability to remember things, I tell myself, “Oh, I’ll remember. There’s no way I’ll forget something this good.”
Well, guess what? I forget. Almost every single time.
And the most annoying part? I don’t just forget the idea. I forget the little details that made it so exciting in the first place. I might remember that I had an idea, but ask me what exactly it was, how I intended to execute it, or what made me so excited about it, and suddenly, my brain is as empty as a freshly wiped whiteboard.
It’s almost comical how many potentially interesting ideas I’ve probably lost simply because I couldn’t be bothered to open my notes app or grab a piece of paper.
Get Zaey’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
Even as I’m writing this, I just remembered that I had another brilliant idea a little while ago. Unfortunately, I cannot tell you what it was. Isn’t that ironic?
So, I’ve decided to make a little promise to myself: from now on, every light-bulb moment gets written down. No matter how busy I am, no matter how random it seems, and no matter how convinced I am that I’ll remember it later. I’ll write it down. A quick note, a voice recording, anything. It doesn’t have to be organised or make sense to anyone else. It just has to exist somewhere outside my head.
Because who knows? That random thought you had while doing absolutely nothing could be the beginning of something wonderful. It could be a business, a book, a project, a solution to a problem, or even the next big thing.
And wouldn’t it be a shame to lose it simply because you trusted your memory a little too much?
Anyway, this is your gentle reminder and mine, especially mine; WRITE THAT IDEA DOWN!
You never know what you’re sitting on.
Okay? Okay.
Love,
Zainab💕
