Don’t miss clarity when it knocks at your door. How to capture it?

At some point we all had an idea that seemed great or identified the right next steps in a complex project, but a few hours later we couldn’t even remember it.
Experts speak about short- and long-term memory. We have limited capacity in our short memory. Maybe the great idea gets lost there, replaced by another thought.

Clarity often comes when we are not working on it. You read something, you watch a movie, you are under the shower. It’s called the “diffuse” mode. Your super brain proposes a solution to a problem you presented to it before.

When we run into a problem and say, “I’m confused.”
There might be too many iterations. We claim, “I have no time now, I’ll deal with it later.” But your brain remains confused and will continue to process it.
Have you ever been in a state where you feel you can’t do anything? Every action seems complex, you lack clarity. When you are confused, you are unproductive.
Take 5 minutes to write down what the problem is and a few potential solutions to it. It will help your mind to calm down, as you remove the problem from your limited short memory.
What looks obvious now will not be a few hours later.

How to take advantage of our moment of clarity?

The solution is quite simple on paper, but needs discipline in its implementation.
We need to build a system that allows us to capture our moment of clarity.

Digitally or physically, writing your ideas, your associations, your next steps, your potential solutions to problems is the best way.

Everything goes to one place: a notebook or a digital repository. Your system needs to be searchable, even a notebook could be it. If you have an index at the beginning, you can retrieve the information you’re looking for.

I capture information from different sources (notebook, digital tools), but they all go back to a master source. I use Evernote. There are many other options on the market. The one you choose is less important than the discipline around the system your build.

Reviewing your master source often is essential. Your moments of clarity are there.

You never know when clarity knocks at your door. But you can take note of it. This simple step will develop your clarity, creativity, and success.

Enjoy it.

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