003 - Never lose an idea again — revealing all my capturing methods

Google anything about being productive, and one moment or another you will find the "GTD method" or "Getting things done" being described on the top results. I encourage you to go searching for it, if you're not familiarised with it yet, before continuing.

And, amidst all the videos, tutorials, articles like this one, there's also a myriad of noise of people that haven't really practiced GTD or created successful workflows (for them). Those that have, don't really share the good stuff.

I'm here to share some of my good stuff with you.

You probably find yourself lost with the steps, sometimes even from the very first — which, to me, is the most crucial of all, really.

Capturing.

An idea lost is a plan that you will most likely forget and then never get to execute.

Of course, that's only if you act on it.

But first, you have to learn what works best for your workflow, your setup, and your work style. And that only comes with testing for yourself.

I will show you all my capturing methods. That's right. It's not one. That's the first thing people don't tell you: find your flow of the day, and adapt to different methods according to your environment.

But, Jules, wouldn't that be too complicated? It all depends on your work style and where you find the most friction.

Therefore, even if I present you with all the methods I use, some of them might not fit you — but upon trying for yourself, you will find something that actually does. An alternative might be what you need.

You see, productivity and performance are about perfecting, constantly. Spoilers: it will never be done. Check boxes are only temporary. Your workflows are constantly adapting to your environment, your state of mind, the resources you have, how much time you have to execute a task, and where you find your bottlenecks (The things that suck up your performance).

I'm far more interested in capturing a task or idea to then executing on what I can now — so, doing part of the GTD "on the go", if you will — then losing the idea and the flow of my current work.

It all depends on the nature of the captured thing itself.

That doesn't mean that capture doesn't have or need structure — what doesn't get executed immediately does go through the GTD steps for me (capturing the idea, putting the idea in its correct "folder" in my systems, categorising it and then executing and analysing).

From the 3 years using GTD religiously in Notion, I can say that most of my methods aren't "evergreen". They adapt even to the phase of my life.

In general, it depends on the environment I'm working in, my work mindset, if I need to develop that idea now and if that idea is urgent, and what I'm working on.

When you're on your computer

That means that, while I'm sitting on the computer, you will find me with the Stickies app opened on my Mac.

Stickies emulates sticky notes — I hate the visual pollution the analog version creates — and it comes with your Mac. There's no reason not to use it if you're a Mac user unless maybe you have a small screen (like a 13´). I use a big 27' so screen space isn't a problem.

In the case of a smaller screen, I'd use an inbox in a notes app or in a Notion system, or at least not have the Stickies float on top of other apps.

The key is to find something you can switch to rapidly to jot the idea or task down, as fast as possible. You don't want that taking space in your brain, you want it to be out of the way so you can work and focus.

During the workflow, the less you switch apps or devices the better, in order to avoid distractions and lose the deep work you're in. Which is why I like Stickies.app so much: it will float where you place it, behind or on top of apps, always visible. CMD + N quickly adds a new note and CMD + number changes its colour to visually code notes.

📥 Meaning, you can color code what you will need to insert later in your inbox.

You can probably find similar apps to play with on your environment, if you're not a Mac user, or if some reason you can't get stickies from the App Store on your Mac. There’s probably a similar Windows app (leave it in the comments below for other people).

Stickies can also be exported to the Mac Notes app, or you can copy and paste any remainder task that you later not judge not as important into your Notion system.

When you're on your phone

Sometimes, the work I'm doing is on my phone. Or, if I'm working out an idea pops up, then usually my phone is around too.

The rule applies here as well: the least I change apps, the better. The most important thing is, however, to get the note down.

You can also add widgets to your homescreen with specific pages in your inbox dedicated to recurring things you think about. For example, for me, it's "framework ideas", "content ideas", "put in my wishlist". You're taking the "middle man" out of the way and partially preparing for the other GTD steps.

When it's a step by step I have to execute now, I simply write a note on paper if it's available. That way I simply execute and throw the paper away instead of going through the hassle of deleting Notion blocks or pages.

You don't want to create future steps for your future self either. If it's something that requires consideration and further thinking — like when I capture with my Inbox for a framework or a content idea — then you want to be as descriptive as ever and leave it in the system for processing later.

Capturing inspiration with your phone camera

I went to Portugal recently with my parents and a recurring struggle I saw my mom going through was "how much did this cost at the other shop again?"

I have long taken the habit of simply taking a photo and then "sharing it" to my Notion's inbox to look at later, or uploading it to the wishlist page inside my Inbox.

I have a habit of being through with my purchases, checking alternatives, if I can't find a better quality version of the same product and such, so this is helpful for when I actually sit down and decide to do my research on a specific product.

The point of capturing is removing the work for your future self of trying to remember everything. If it's something you've seen in a shop, swipe left on your lockscreen (at least on iPhones), point and shoot with your phone's camera. It takes 3s at most. Give or take 10ms.

Share it right away to the correct page in Notion or process the images at the end of the day if you're on a trip.

I also do this with inspiring graphics, particularly typography, badges, logos, cool fonts. Having the design background that I do, I like to go back and use it as inspiration. You may it use for whatever “inspires” you or provokes an interesting emotion.

For me, being on the go doesn't take away from capturing ideas. Sometimes I simply use the Notes app or my inbox, it all depends on the nature of what I'm capturing, again.

It's a lot easier to declutter my mind when my notes get synced in one place that I know I will have access on my computer later, such as the notes app or Notion, rather than having a bunch loose papers. On the go, travelling with a little book isn't really desirable to me, but I know it can work for some people.

Your checklist for later

• Google "GTD method" to learn the basics of the method.

• Capturing ideas is crucial; you WILL forget.

• Adapt capturing methods to your workflow and style.

• Productivity is an ongoing process of adaptation.

• Capture tasks immediately to maintain focus.

• Use tools like Stickies (Mac only), Notion, Notes or similar apps for quick capture.

• Minimize app switching to stay focused.

• Use your phone camera for quick info capture on the go.

• Swipe left on your iPhone's lockscreen to quickly open the camera.

• Process images as well — whether by uploading it or copying key information.

• Create widgets/shortcuts for frequently used pages and add to your phone's home screen.

• Export or process your Stickies that you decide are not important nor urgent.

• Prefer methods that autosync, like the Notes app on Apple environment.

• Be descriptive when capturing complex ideas.