Have you ever had a great idea, only to forget it during the course of the day? Have you ever been overwhelmed with too much information and then forgotten a key idea or important detail that slipped the cracks in your memory?

Why not leverage the power of writing things down by taking note of what you want to remember on paper, or electronically in a note taking app? Even better, you can develop a note taking system that includes a database of information.

Write It Down

When something comes up that you want to remember, you can try to just keep in your head. This could work, but chances are you will forget it as you focus on your day and new ideas and information present themselves to you.

I know I have had many great ideas that were lost because I didn’t write them down. I would get busy at work and the details of what I was working on would crowd my ideas out of my head, and those ideas would be lost to me.

Trying to rely on your memory alone is certainly one option. Alternatively, you can develop a system of writing notes to help you recall your best ideas and to remember the information you receive from other people. By writing it down, you free yourself to focus on the work at hand, and then all you have to do is to review your notes to recall everything you wrote down.

So, what do you write in your notes? The answer is to write down your ideas when you have them. Also, write down any commitments you make to other people. You can also record important information you receive from other people, or that you come across during the day, so you can access it later. This will give you a system of reminders that will ensure you recall ideas you have during the day, commitments you make to others, and information you receive throughout the day.

Build a Database of Information

In addition to being a system of reminders, you can also use your note taking system as a database of information. As you take notes, over time you will collect information on a wide range of subjects, and if you store these notes electronically, you can access them any time you are at your computer. Even better, you can use a cloud-based note taking app, such as Evernote or Microsoft OneNote. Then your database of information is available to you from your phone and your computer. This means you can access your notes anywhere, as long as you have your phone with you.

I use Microsoft OneNote. I also have a friend who swears by Evernote. Using one of these apps, you can build a database of information. Think of a database of information like a set of notebooks that record all of the information you capture and want to access on a regular basis. These could be details about the community clubs you belong to, information about the products you develop at work, notes about processes and systems you use, and more. You can also capture your goals and your best ideas in your database of information.

In OneNote, I create different notebooks to capture information on different subjects. And I break down each notebook into different categories. This helps me to organize my notes and it makes it easy for me to find notes on a particular subject.

In my database of notes, I keep notes about my Toastmasters club. I also keep notes about the different personal projects I am working on. I also use OneNote at work to keep notes about the software I work on. These notes help me remember how to use and configure the software I develop. They include details that are hard to remember, such as keywords to use in software commands. Having these notes in OneNote makes it easy for me to remember these software commands.

Conclusion

Having a note taking system is a great way to extend your memory and help you remember important ideas and information. You can write down the ideas you have during the day. You can write down information you receive from other people. You can also take note of commitments you make to other people.

Your note taking system can be a system of reminders. It can also be a database of information. It can be a well-organized data store where your best ideas and key information can be accessed whenever you need them.

Buy a physical notebook or download a note taking app, and start writing down your ideas today. Also record key information that you need to remember, both at work and in your personal life. Also make a point of writing down all commitments you make to other people, so you’ll always remember those commitments.

Take notes, and you will extend your memory. And remember, you must review your notes, otherwise they won’t help you.