The Random Thought Notebook – What It Is, Why It’s Helpful, and How To Start

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Excerpt: What is a random thought notebook? It’s exactly what it sounds like: a notebook where you track your random thoughts. How might this be helpful? The answer is three-fold…

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First, it provides for a good memory.

According to the NSF, the average person has around 50,000 thoughts per day!

And of course, whenever any thought comes up that your mind might consider, ‘of value’ (or even of little value) it tends to hold onto that thought (whether consciously or subconsciously) which keeps it hovering around in the forefront of your brain.

So, even if only 1% of your thoughts are thoughts that your mind wants to hold onto, you’d be trying to remember 500 thoughts… in  just one day!

Fast forward through a week and that’s 3,500 ‘of-value’ thoughts!

Over the course of a year?

Well, let’s just say that that’s a ton of thoughts that your mind would be trying to (and yeah, failing to) remember.

You can see how relying solely on your memory can be a less than effective technique. Taking an extra few seconds to pull out a notebook and jot down your thoughts can save you not only a ton of time over the course of a year, but also a ton of memory space.

Second, it allows you to clear your head of meandering thoughts.

When your mind is focused on remembering old thoughts, it has no room for new thoughts.

Think about it like a computer.

If you have too many applications or programs open simultaneously on your computer, it’ll significantly slow down in proportion to how many programs you have open and maybe even get to the point of crashing and shutting down.

How do you prevent that from happening?

You save your files and close out programs – that way the computer has more processing space for new programs. 

Well, saving and closing on a computer is writing down and clearing for the mind!  It frees up processing space for new thoughts and revolutionary ideas!

Third, it’s an easy way to journal.

I have always found it easier to accomplish big tasks by splitting the work load up into little chunks – and that’s what this little journal can do for you.

Instead of doing one, long, summary style entry at the end of a day (or week or whenever), you simply chunk it out as it comes throughout the day in smaller, bit-sized entries. I like this method because you create a journal that is spontaneous, quick to the point, easy to write, and easy to read.  Plus, I feel like a random thought notebook is a more accurate portrayal of who we are as humans.

We are constantly thinking and meandering and inquiring and the, ‘summary-style’ journal only captures one frame of the whole film-reel that is our life. The random thought notebook contains a more “in the moment,” live, and raw sample of our thoughts throughout the day.  Just: BOOM!; thought; pencil; notebook; write; down; done. Back to life.

Application Strategies:

1. Get a notebook.  I recommend a moleskin notebook with a bookmark/ pencil holder.  The smaller and more simple, the better.
2. Either get one to carry or a few to leave around.  For some reason my mind would always wander while I read and having the notebook close by to get out my thoughts helped me to clear my mind and re-focus on my reading.  It’s the process that inspired this whole idea.  If carrying just one notebook isn’t your style, try leaving a few notebooks where they might be of value to you instead.
3. Avoid internet based programs or phone apps – They’re simply too distracting!  There have been times when I have gone on my phone with the intent and purpose of writing down a life-altering idea (okay maybe not ‘life-altering’) and as soon as I go to my phone’s home screen – BOOM – I saw messages and notifications and apps and completely forget what I was doing on my phone in the first place.  I like the idea of a real, simple, messy, paper-pencil notebook because it’s sole-purposed.  No distractions – just space for thoughts.
4. Make it as brief or as intricate as you’d like.  I wouldn’t track every single thought that came to mind – for obvious reasons.  But also, don’t be too selective.  Sometimes the silly thoughts are the most fun to re-read later.  If you notice a thought keeps circling around in your head, consider it ‘note-worthy.’  Simply focus on tracking the thoughts that could be ‘of value’ to you later in some way, shape, or form and you’ll be fine.
5. Make it a point every week to re-read your entries.  Then, sift through your thoughts, set goals, and plan out action strategies for making your ideas come to life!  If your thoughts stay forever bound to the confines of your notebook, they’ll be of no use to you or the world or the people around you!  Your ideas matter.  Do something with them.

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