Productivity Tip – Ubiquitous Capture
Has this ever happened to you? You have an idea, make a commitment during a conversation, realize you need to do something, or think of something you need to take with you in the morning. You know you’ll remember it when the time comes or at least when you get to a point where you can make a note. Then ten seconds later the thought has left your mind, never to return.
The first step in being productive is remembering what you want to do and what you’ve agreed to do. This is so important that David Allen, in his trademarked Getting Things Done (GTD) methodology, lists “Capture” as the first step in the process. No matter what situation you are in, you must be able to capture whatever important thoughts or information comes to you and whatever commitments you make. Most importantly these things need to be captured someplace outside of your memory so they are safe from forgetfulness and distractions. Being prepared to capture these fleeting thoughts and bits of information wherever and whenever is sometimes referred to as “ubiquitous capture”.
For most situations this is easily solved: you can leave note pads and pens on tables and desks next to where you often sit. You can carry a notebook where ever you go. Placing one on a nightstand by your bed is an excellent way of capturing the critical things that wake you up at 3am. An alternative to a physical notepad to have a note taking application installed on your phone and have your phone with you at all times, or at least when a physical notepad isn’t convenient. When you’re sitting at your computer, keeping a document open for capturing notes or sending yourself emails are both good choices
The next step is making a habit of using those capture tools whenever something passes through your mind or comes up in discussion that makes you think “I need to remember this later.” Don’t try to remember it. Write it down immediately, every time.
There are places where writing isn’t the most convenient way to capture something. Driving, walking and exercising are all situations when it can be difficult to write something down. In these cases a digital voice recorder is one option. Many phones have voice recording capability built-in so you don’t have to carry yet another device. Another option is a service such as Jott or reQall. Both of these offer the ability to call a phone number and leave a message, which will then be transcribed to an email and sent to you along with the voice recording. A slightly less sophisticated method is to simply call your own phone and leave yourself a voicemail. Again, don’t rely on your memory. Have a capture option available wherever you are and make use of it.
Capturing everything that you need to remember in some location other than your memory is the first step in improving your productivity. It doesn’t end there though, remembering where you’ve captured these notes, reviewing them later, and doing something about them are all just as important.
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