My Exact Idea Capture System for Grabbing Every Idea Before It Slips Away
My Exact Idea Capture System for Grabbing Every Idea Before It Slips Away
I've lost more divine ideas than socks in the dryer...
But no more.
You ever get smacked in the face with a genius idea mid-shower?
Or feel the Holy Spirit drop a golden insight right in the middle of a staff meeting… and you swear you’ll remember it?
Fast-forward three hours: you’re staring at your notes like you’ve just discovered an ancient Dead Sea Scroll.
No clue what it means.
No idea where it went.
That’s not forgetfulness.
That’s poor stewardship.
God Doesn’t Just Speak on Sundays
Those sudden flashes of inspiration?
Those “oh man, that’ll preach” moments?
Those are God moments—and they don’t always happen when you’re holding a Bible.
They show up in the grocery store.
On a walk.
While reheating leftover Chick-fil-A... um, grilled nuggets (cough, cough).
And when they do, you better have a net to catch ‘em.
The System That Saved My Sanity (and My Sermons)
I don’t trust my memory.
Not even a little.
At 54, Mr. Memory gets kicks and giggles out of making promises to me he doesn't intend to keep.
So here’s what I use:
1. One-click voice-to-Notion shortcut on my phone:
Notion puts a little "plus" icon widget on my home screen.
I just hit that button, dictate the idea, and boom—it’s stored.
No typing.
No friction.
It defaults to my "idea capture" folder where I can find it later.
Then I can turn it into whatever and move it to wherever.
Reliable.
Habit-forming.
2. ChatGPT for research-y stuff:
If it feels like a thread worth pulling, I start a convo right there.
One tap on the app icon.
Ask some questions. Give it a command.
Pick it up later from any device.
So...
Those two things alone are 90% of it.
This simple system shows up as:
No more “where did I write that down?”
No more “what was that verse again?”
No more “Holy Spirit burrito??” (Actual thing I wrote once. Still no clue.)
Before & After: A Tale of Two Pastors
| Without a System | With a System |
|---|---|
| “That’s gold. I’ll remember it.” | Dictates into Notion in 5 seconds |
| (Drumroll...) Idea vanishes forever | Develops it into a series |
| Blames busyness | Realizes God was speaking... alot—he just wasn’t listening with a pen before |
What Makes a Capture System Work?
Let’s be clear: it’s not about which app you use.
It’s about this:
- Low friction – If it takes more than 2 or 3 taps, you won’t use it.
- Easy to organize – Folders. Categories. Tags. Some sort of system you won’t hate.
- Accessible later – If it’s buried in a “notes.txt” from 2021, it’s gone.
But here’s the secret sauce:
When you write an idea down, it's captured.
When you revisit that idea and write more around it, it multiplies.
Ideas that regain your focus generate more ideas.
Writing is it's own force-multiplier.
Something weird happens when your fingers hit the keys.
You write to flesh out one idea—and three more show up like, “Hey, we heard there was a party.”
Writing begets more writing.
Insight breeds insight.
But only if you catch the first one.
Build the Net. Steward the Download.
Let’s not over-spiritualize this:
If you avoid an effective idea-capturing system, you’re not being spiritual.
You’re being sloppy.
God’s not stingy with insight.
But He does expect you to do something with it.
So build your net.
Make it easy.
Make it fun.
Make it frictionless.
Because your next breakthrough probably won’t come during your quiet time.
It’ll come when you're stuck behind a tractor doing 12 mph on the way to a funeral.
More Resources To Help You Optimize
🥤Momentum Shake: The Complete Longevity Shake for Optimal Health
🎥 Sermon Shots: Repurpose Sermons Into Clips & Other Engaging Content in Minutes
💊 My (Scott's) full supplement regimen
