Capture Your Best Ideas!

For most of us, our best thinking happens when we’re least equipped to capture our thoughts — in the car, in the shower, or just as we’re dozing off to sleep.

Often, what stands between imagination and implementation is committing pen to paper.

In countless circumstances, one strategy has enabled me and my clients to capture our thoughts and bring to fruition our most creative ideas:

Post-it Notes. Purchase a 6-pack, and keep one in your car, another on a bathroom shelf, and another on your bedside table. Pair each with a pen. If it turns out that you do your best thinking while exercising or cooking, consider leaving a set in your gym locker and another on the kitchen counter. (No brand loyalty necessary…If sticky notes aren’t your thing, plain pads of paper will do just as well).

Most importantly, resist the temptation in the moment to think, “I’ll remember that,” and instead commit your thoughts to a notepad immediately. Then transfer the contents of those notes to your planner, PDA, to-do list, or cell phone…so you can take action on them.

And, enjoy bringing your best ideas to life!

Jen helps dynamic individuals achieve professional success and personal fulfillment. Her personal & career coaching programs are custom-designed to help you meet your unique goals. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, The Financial Times, Smart Money, Forbes.com, Time Out New York, and on The Today Show. To learn more about Jen’s private coaching services or to schedule an introductory session, please contact Jen directly: Phone: 914-617-8283 Email: Jen@JZBcoaching.com Visit Jen on the Web at www.JZBcoaching.com

How To Get Yucky Tasks Done

Can you think of a certain task you dread doing that you consistently avoid?  Consider trying “the combination approach”.  Pair the loathsome task with a rather neutral undertaking you already do everyday.  This tip comes courtesy of a dental hygienist, who recommends flossing in the shower.  Over time, once your mind forms the association, the neutral task automatically triggers you to remember it’s time to do that pesky task, too.  Make things easier on yourself by keeping reminders of the association close at hand.  For instance, keep dental floss in the shower by the shampoo.  Try keeping those vitamins you resist taking next to your toothbrush.  Using this “combination approach”, one of my clients now associates boiling water with sorting the mail.  Whenever she puts water on the stove to boil for dinner, she sorts the mail and pays the bills.  By the time the pasta is al dente, the junk mail has been tossed and the checkbook balanced!

High-five!