HOEI

How do you manage blog post ideas? I’m not talking about the ones that pop into your mind while sitting in front of your computer. I am talking about those that pop into your head in the middle of the night, while you’re in the shower, while you are at work, or while driving your car.

I have been experiencing some episodes of writer’s block lately. However, I often think of ideas when I find that I am in a position that prevents me from posting to one of my blogs. I then find myself in front of the computer later racking my brain trying to remember that awesome idea I had earlier in the day. More often than not, these ideas have slipped away and never return. If they do return, the timing might be all wrong for writing a post on that idea if the original idea was based on a current event.

I have compiled a short list of ways to gather those great ideas:
While off line (with no access to a computer)

• Call and leave yourself a voice mail containing enough details to spark your memory
• Send yourself a text message
• Make an analog note (with pen and paper)
• Take a picture or shoot a video with a camera phone
• Use a digital voice recorder (many portable mp3 players have this feature)

My favorite has to be the digital voice recorder. This device can be used in so many creative ways. As noted above, many mp3 players provide a record feature. My favorites are made by iRiver. I am still trying to get used to the voice memo feature on my Treo 700P. I have used the Treo 650 for so long that I forget I even have this application on the new 700P.

One of the above choices should help with off line idea collection, but there are the times when you are at a friend’s house and BAM, an awesome idea comes over you while siting in front of your buddy’s computer.

While on line (at someone else’s computer)
All of the above plus:

• Send yourself an email or ask your friend to email you
• Use on line bookmarks
• Maintain an on line document listing your ideas
• Create draft posts in your blogging software

Bonus: I received an email from a blogging friend yesterday. Mama Grizzly asked me how I did something on one of my blogs and recommended that I write a blog post on this technique. Her recommendation reminded me that I have a ton of tips from my experience of more than ten years in information technology. I could easily be filling up this blog and Tech Land. Look at what LifeHacker gets away with in a post about using asterisks to filter searches in an open dialog window. I might be able to come up with a few hundred blog posts like that one. Thanks Mama Grizzly for helping me get the creative juices flowing!