I think a lot of us entrepreneur types have files, Moleskins, txt documents, blogs, etc. that are similar to 'The Spark File.' It's an excellent tool, and keeping track of ideas, inspiration, projects, and more is a vital part of organizing your thoughts.
One thing that differentiates this particular implementation is the consistent (but not constant) review of ideas, as well as the consolidation of ideas that seem to go well together. The creation of "full" ideas vs. "half baked" ideas is a really interesting concept, and I feel that I learned a lot about idea formation, even from just a four minute video.
While ByWord seems great for offline editing (and I'm certainly going to give it a shot), I've had a really great experience using Trello for my "spark file." The separate "cards" that Trello supports allow me to have different categories of ideas that I can then individually consolidate. For example, I currently have cards for:
- Startup (ideas for ventures I'm considering.)
- Posts (blog posts I'd like to write; either expanded versions of HN comments, or stories in and of themselves. This comment will likely go right in there as well!)
- Research (security & appsec research I'd like to conduct, as well as particular technologies I'm interested in. My to-learn queue.)
- Software (non-startup related software I'm building or would like to build.)
In the end, I can't help but agree and evangelize Alex's post -- the human brain can only keep track of so much on its own, but with help and organization, we can be much more productive!
Comments
I think a lot of us entrepreneur types have files, Moleskins, txt documents, blogs, etc. that are similar to 'The Spark File.' It's an excellent tool, and keeping track of ideas, inspiration, projects, and more is a vital part of organizing your thoughts.
One thing that differentiates this particular implementation is the consistent (but not constant) review of ideas, as well as the consolidation of ideas that seem to go well together. The creation of "full" ideas vs. "half baked" ideas is a really interesting concept, and I feel that I learned a lot about idea formation, even from just a four minute video.
While ByWord seems great for offline editing (and I'm certainly going to give it a shot), I've had a really great experience using Trello for my "spark file." The separate "cards" that Trello supports allow me to have different categories of ideas that I can then individually consolidate. For example, I currently have cards for:
- Startup (ideas for ventures I'm considering.)
- Posts (blog posts I'd like to write; either expanded versions of HN comments, or stories in and of themselves. This comment will likely go right in there as well!)
- Research (security & appsec research I'd like to conduct, as well as particular technologies I'm interested in. My to-learn queue.)
- Software (non-startup related software I'm building or would like to build.)
In the end, I can't help but agree and evangelize Alex's post -- the human brain can only keep track of so much on its own, but with help and organization, we can be much more productive!