Would you carry a dedicated device just for capturing ideas?
Hello,
I’m just starting a new project and would love some honest feedback.
I personally struggle with this: an interesting idea crosses my mind at a random time, and I try to remember it for later. But then, other thoughts appear and I eventually forget the best ones. I believe taking notes is vital, but I haven't found the right tool.
Notebooks: Searching is difficult and I rarely review them.
Loose paper: No system; they just get lost.
Mobile apps: Too distracting, and I miss the feel of handwriting.
Because of this, I’m developing a small, pocketable device for quick, frictionless idea-capture. I’m in the very early stages and not attached to a specific solution yet. I’d love to know: Is this a project worth pursuing? What would your ideal idea-capture device look like?
P.S. Just to be clear—I’m not pitching a product or looking to hire. I’m just in the very early "problem-validation" stage and want to see if this resonates with other creators.
Thank you very much - every feedback helps me a lot.
I can def relate to loosing ideas. I've been forcing myself to brain dump into voice notes and a physical device could help, but i eventually need ti turn them to text and put in my notes app because audio is not visually scannable nor easily retrievable.
I organize all my notes in Apple Notes using a form of the method from the book Building a Second Brain called “PARA” (Projects, Areas of Interest, Resources, and Archive) but a lot of methods would work. You just need something to take the friction out of retrieval.
Finally I put any notes I reuse or research a lot into a text manager and custom keyboard so I can one tap paste them whenever I need. I use the app Snippeta for this.
I'm thinking that a device at one point of my productivity journey and I would have said yes, now I'm not sure. A great app with an angle yes, a device, I'm not sure
In terms of angle, atm I tend to throw everything in a Todosit and or note app and more capture items are neither a note nor a task so it is cluttering.
Hello,
I completely understand that frustration - I feel the same way. Sorting notes often feels like a chore, an extra effort you have to do. It is always easier to just save the note and delay sorting until later, but the chance of doing it in the future - when more and more notes stack - actually drops to zero.
That's exactly why I'm exploring a focused device - I personally prefer the natural experience of handwriting instead of typing on a distraction-filled mobile phone.
To your point about clutter: what would be the ideal solution for you to minimize the effort of organizing notes so they are findable later?
Yet handwriting (to which I’m turning more and more) feels a bit too frictional for a capture, i think i can’t really answer without having more details to what you think about. But it has to be carryable, very very easily. Pencil i wouldn’t consider it, also it has to an experience while using it, not just a gadget