Two Capture Methods You Might Be Forgetting
Mondays are productivity days at SimpleProductivity blog.
I was setting out for my daily 3 mile walk, and thumbing through the various podcasts I had waiting for me. I scrolled past the ones about blogging, and noticed the list was getting very large. But at the same time, part of me resisted because I didn’t have a way to take notes while listening. Or so I thought.
A phone call interrupted me, and I answered on my headset. Then it dawned on me that I could use the same technology for taking notes that I was already using for the phone.
Today we will talk about two capture methods that you might be forgetting. These methods can help you capture ideas and notes no matter where you are.
Voice Memos
If you can use voice commands on your phone, you can do voice memos with those. I push the button on my headphones, and tell Siri to take a memo. (And just so it doesn’t get lost, Siri automatically sends it to Evernote.)
This can be done on Android phones as well, and Google Now also offers this ability.
The transcription may not be great, but if you read it soon enough after you take it, you will be able to figure out the auto-corrected words.
Camera
The camera is not just for taking pictures of your lunch. Use the camera to capture brand names, model numbers, prices, documents, white boards…anything you might need on the go.
Cameras can document what you need on the go, and often capture more detail that you might need. For instance, before going to the store to get a new ink cartridge, I snapped a picture of the old one. I also wrote down the printer model. What a shock to find that the store didn’t have a chart telling which cartridge went with what printer! Without the picture, I would have left without the cartridge.
Bonus Method: Kids
Here’s a bonus method I discovered a few weeks ago. My daughter and I were headed to the outlet stores and had a 45 minute drive ahead of us. I told her we were going to listen to podcasts, and handed her paper and pen. I told her that her job would be to take notes of things I mentioned.
It worked wonderfully. I have a list of my thoughts and ideas in a readable format, and I was able to make good use of my driving time.
Conclusion
Sometimes we forget about the tools that are right in front of us. The camera and the voice memo on our phones are the perfect capture tools when we are on the go.
Over To The Readers
Do you have a capture tool you forget to use? Share below.
Photo by Prepayasyougo. Licensed under Creative Commons.
