Capture every idea: the notebook habit behind prolific creators
Taylor Swift capturing every idea, Adam Grant on notebooks and blind spots, and Rick Rubin's habit of noticing clues everywhere all point to writing ideas down the moment they appear. Ideas are cheap to lose and easy to keep, so a capture system pays for itself.
How does Taylor Swift capture ideas, as Mel Robbins tells it? Show answer
She types any cool observation or lyric idea into one endless note pad on her phone, all the time, even when she is not making an album.
How did Swift use her saved notes when writing Blank Space? Show answer
After writing the chorus, she searched through all the lyrics she had thought of in the last year for lines with the right feel and cherry-picked them.
What capture habit does Chris Robbins have? Show answer
He always carries a tiny pocket notebook and writes down ideas wherever he is. He has done it for 30 years and filled about 50.
Why hasn't Mel Robbins' own capture system worked? Show answer
Her notes are spread across notebooks, journals, note cards and saved folders, so there is no one place to look.
What is Huberman's two-step method of capture? Show answer
Grab everything, then filter out what is useful later.
When do Huberman's best ideas come, and what does he do about it? Show answer
Within the first hour after waking, which is why he carries a notebook around.
Whose advice does Huberman credit for his capture habit? Show answer
Joe Strummer of the Clash, who said that if you have an idea you have to write it down, because if you wait it will be gone.
What does Adam Grant do with a new book idea? Show answer
He files it away and gives himself at least a month before he begins drafting, to let it incubate.
What did Grant's research with Jihae Shin find? Show answer
A moderate amount of delay produced the most creative ideas, but only when people cared about the task.
What does Rick Rubin say happens when you write down a dream? Show answer
You may remember only part on waking, but if you start writing it down, more comes back, even if the meaning comes later or never.
What is seed collecting in Rubin's four phases? Show answer
The first, never-ending phase: noticing and noting anything that sparks interest, with no deadlines.
On what do the sources disagree? Show answer
The tool. Swift and Rubin use phone notes, Chris Robbins a paper notebook, Grant a computer document, and Huberman prefers handwriting in one conversation and voice memos in another.