There are many ways that I take notes and put them into my trusted system. This could be a note in Omnifocus or a text file in a job folder for instance.
Note apps that I use on my iPhone and iPad include, Drafts, Note2Self, Omnifocus, Simplenote and Evernote. I prefer to process from my mail inbox on my computer so I tend to go straight for Note2Self which is setup to send directly to my email when I press the send button. I also like to use the dictation feature to make it go even faster. I have started to use Drafts if I know where I want the information to reside. Omnifocus or Evernote for instance.
UPDATE, MARCH 1, 2021: In the past 8 years since I wrote this blog post, my note-taking apps have changed. The Notes app on the Mac became a much better solution. I tend to use this as my main note-taking app. Notes don’t live there, they just stay for a time and are eventually erased. Notes took the place of Drafts and Note2Self. I stopped using Omnifocus because I felt it was too complex for what I wanted and I moved to Todoist. I still use Evernote as my filing cabinet. Notes that I keep for a long time are in Evernote, probably moved from the Notes app.
I’m a big fan of paper. There are note pads around the house and at my bedside for the quick note. I have the GTD Notetaker Wallet from the David Allen Company in my car so I can grab it when I am out and about. I also have a few Field Notes ruled paper 48-page memo books that I use for the same purpose. For me it’s easier to get my thoughts out and draw a few pictures in pen and ink than it is to type out something on my phone.
I may be old school but I get this weird feeling when I am talking to someone about a project and I am typing on my phone. I feel that I am ignoring them somehow or worse, they think I am texting someone else.
The only missing piece in my note-taking arsenal is in the shower. Way too many ideas come in the shower, but there is too much time and too much moisture between the shower and writing or typing my thought out.
Then it hit me. When my shower mirror started to fog up I turned to the scuba diving shop to provide me with the same stuff that kept my mask fog-free. They had my note pad as well.
I always had a writing slate attached to my diving vest if I needed to communicate with my dive buddy. It was a whiteboard with a golf pencil attached by a piece of rubber hose. I found the perfect one online. It is the Trident Instructor Size Underwater Diving Slate. It is 8” x 10” and I have rigged it up to hang from my shower rod or towel bar. Just this morning I was able to jot down some tag lines for a project that would have been forgotten minutes later.
So there you have it. Another way to process that great idea you had in the shower, turn it into a million-dollar project and you keep being awesome.
UPDATE: As I was surfing Amazon.com one day I was shown the AquaNotes Waterproof Paper and Pencil. A pretty nice alternative to the slate. I did receive some ribbing from friends about his idea but I have to admit it has worked out pretty well.
