What To Do When Inspiration Is Not Kicking In
Are you the type of person who needs a kick of inspiration before you get in the flow?
Then what happens if you don’t? You know the feeling right?
When you are not in the mood, everything seems wrong.
Some people say that if you wait for inspiration, you are waiting for nothing.
And you believe them.
But let’s be honest with yourself, we need inspiration from time to time.
But how do you have inspiration?
Here’s the thing.
What if you don’t have to create inspiration?
What if you can store it?
That’s the value of an idea bank.
Remember, when we were taught to have an emergency fund of about 3x to 6x our monthly expenses?
The reason behind this is you don’t know when an emergency arrives. If you have set aside an emergency fund, you don’t have to worry that much about expenses.
Similarly, that’s how having an idea bank works.
You set aside all the ideas that you may find helpful in the future.
When the need arrives, you pull the idea bank out.
You don’t have to start from zero and force yourself to squeeze your creative juice.
Now let’s talk about ways to fund up your idea bank, shall we?
There are two ways you can build up your idea bank. It can be analog or digital.
Let’s start with analog.
Nothing beats old school writing. And when I say Old school, I am talking about pen and paper. Yes, long handwriting.
A good way to start is with a journal.
It does not have to be fancy. Any notebook will do.
When I started journaling, I just wrote anything that popped out of my mind.
Words, phrases, sentences, or sometimes paragraphs. I even copied text from the books I read and podcasts I listened to. Whatever you do with it, is up to you.
Here a tip so that you can organize your journal. Whenever you write something, put a date and page numbers on your journal. This way you can trackback your ideas and create an index of ideas on the front page of your journal.
Speaking of the index, this second Analog Idea Bank might interest you.
Having A File Of Index Cards
Did you know that leadership expert, John Maxwell, writes down great quotes he read on an index card?
Curious about it, I tried to search online to learn more about this method. Ryan Holiday, author of The Obstacle Is the Way, used index cards when writing his book. Gary Halbert shared how little 3x5 index cards can turn you into a great copywriter.
So why won’t I try it?
When I write on index cards, I follow advice from Ryan Holiday.
One Idea, One Card.
To make it more organized, you can write the general topic and the date on the top part of the index card.
Here’s Bonus Tip
You don’t always have to write. You can also try doodling or sketchnoting. Instead of letters, you draw the idea. Again, does not need to be fancy or artistic here. As long as you understand the idea, it will serve its purpose.
From time to time, I prefer doodling because there are times when I can’t express in words what I have in mind. The only way to express it is to draw it.
[Side Note: For more ideas about doodling and sketchnoting, you can visit Doug Neil of Verbal to Visual and Mike Rhode of Sketchnotes.]
Now, on to the second Way of Funding Up Your Idea Bank.
Let’s get Digital!
To be honest, pulling out your journal or index card and jotting down your ideas can be inconvenient. Like when you’re on your way to work. Or you are shy to look nerdy.
The solution?
Save It To Your Phone
Our phones have a default NotePad, right? You can type your ideas and save them. You will find it the most useful app than any bloated Softwares on your phone.
What if you want to have access to your idea bank everywhere?
Keep it, Google!
This when cloud-based apps like Google Keep become handy.
Whenever I read an article and find it useful I save it to Google Keep. When a photo gets my interest, I download it and save it in Google Keep. You can also put labels for accessibility.
I also do have an app like Pocket where I can save the articles for future reading.
If you’re binge-watching Youtube, you can save it as playlists and categorize it.
In digital, there are endless ways to fund your Idea Bank.
The last method is an experiment I tried myself. It was unusual but I find it fun.
Here’s A Bonus Tip
If you don’t want to write or save files on your phone, then try recording yourself.
Pick up your phone and plug in the headset [or AirPods], turn on Audio Recorder, and start talking! You can do it anytime, anywhere. Act like you are a podcaster. Play with it. Cool right?
Now that you learned about two methods of funding your idea bank, the next question will be,
Which is better? Analog or Digital?
The short answer is “It depends on your preference.”
You can try all methods. Or stick to one. The important thing is you have to keep your idea bank-funded and healthy.
Let’s Wrap it Up
Having your own personal Idea Bank is not rocket science. The methods are pretty simple and obvious.
But we often neglect the importance of preparing for the future.
Call it advanced research if you want.
What matters most is you have this collection of ideas available.
That when the inspiration crisis arrives. you pull out your Idea Bank, browse it and ponder on it.
Who knows the AHA Idea you are looking for is just waiting for you to be discovered.
