Writing Tip: Different Ways to Take Notes on the Go

Different Ways to Take Notes on the Go

Guest Post by Heather Smith

Every writer can attest to the fact that inspiration can strike at any time, paying no heed to whether it’s convenient for you or not. More frustrating than that is when you are suddenly struck with an idea, and not just any idea but the best idea, but you are out and about with no way to jot said idea down. “I’ll remember”, you think, but in reality by the time you get home and try to put pen to paper the idea has long since been erased from your memory, with only the vague edges of it flitting in and out of your brain, taunting you. It is times like this that remind us how essential it is to have a fast and easy way to jot down notes or ideas at any given moment, and these four ways will appeal to every type of writer out there:

1.    The classic notepad – If you’re into the old school approach to taking notes, then keeping a small notepad and pen with you at all times is essential. While some people may scoff at this pen and paper approach, there is something whimsical about whipping out your notepad at any given second and taking down a few words of inspiration.


2.    Voice Recording – Sometimes it’s easier to talk out ideas than it is to write them down, and this is where a voice recording device comes in quite handy. You may look a little strange walking around talking to yourself, but it’s likely that you’re not going to forget anything that way either. And being able to go back and listen through your ideas over and over again can help spark creativity in a way that a text note might not be able to do.


3.    An email draft – When you’re tied up at work, running errands, or you’re out socializing with friends and you have no way to preserve an idea then it might be easiest to just open an email draft and type out a few key points. Then you can save it to your drafts or email it to yourself without any worry of losing the spark of creativity.


4.    Evernote – If you’re like most people these days with your phone being an essential part of your person at all times of the day then the Evernote app can come in quite handy. Evernote allows you to jot down notes or talk them out and record them, take photos, and craft monster to-do lists, and then syncs the content with all of your devices.  Added bonus: it’s free.

You aren’t always going to be able to sit down and write when an idea sparks your creativity, but you can be prepared to take down some notes in any given situation as long as you’re prepared. Find a note-taking solution that works for you that way you’re never caught off guard when writing creativity strikes. With each of these options appealing to a different type of writer you’re sure to find one that fits you and your style. 

Author Bio: Heather Smith is an ex-nanny. Passionate about thought leadership and writing, Heather regularly contributes to various career, social media, public relations, branding, and parenting blogs/websites. She also provides value to nannies by giving advice on site design as well as the features and functionality to provide more and more value to Nannies.net and families across the U.S. and Canada. She can be available at H.smith7295 [at] gmail.com.

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