How to record ideas you have while driving or in the shower

by Jen (February 14, 2008)

We’ve all had brilliant ideas while driving, showering, or in the middle of the night, had no way of writing them down, and ended up forgetting them. With a little preparation, you can keep this from happening.

• For the shower: Crayola Bathtub Crayons. These let you write something that won’t wash off while you shower, but can be easily washed off once you’ve had time to write it down somewhere else.
• For driving: you need a voice recorder. Unless you get a stop light or can pull over, writing stuff down just isn’t safe when you’re driving. A voice recorded can be as simple as your hands-free cellphone (call your voice mail and leave a message) or PDA, or you can buy a cheap microcassette recorder. Now, two safety caveats: (1) whatever you do should be as hands-free as possible, and (2) I don’t care if you think you can orally write a novel while driving: you probably can’t. Most people can’t have their minds somewhere else and drive well. Always put safety first. Your commute is not a time for getting stuff done. It’s a time for getting somewhere safely.
• For ideas you get while sleeping, attach a pen to a pad of paper (just stick it through the spiral binding or use the pen’s clip to attach it) and have a small hands-free booklight available to illuminate it so you won’t have to fully wake up yourself or someone else with the lamp. The voice recorder idea can work here, too, even if you share a bed or bedroom - your whispers into the mic won’t be enough to disturb most people.

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