Struggling with work-related ideas and questions while doing non-desk activities

I send myself emails from my personal account to my work one to get them out of my head, per se, without having to bring work apps onto my personal cell phone.

I’ve been doing this since H2 2020, & I’m never looking back! Hope it’s helpful for you 😊

do you use your inbox as your to-do list or do you then move then somewhere else as tasks?

Move them elsewhere! It’s just a way that’s worked for me to get the idea in the moment out of my head and not have work apps on my phone too.

Like Joel, I’ve emailed myself.

I also take notes on my phone and email those to myself.

My brain is chaotic. It definitely jumps, while I’m working and when I’m not. Like I just laid down for a 10min nap because I have a headache, and my brain decided that was a good time to reflect on a call from earlier today, write a few LinkedIn posts, and come up with an idea for a webinar. 🤷

I try to just roll with it. Write when I can. Jot down ideas. Let some of them go (I can’t reasonably do them all). I usually take some time every week or two to pull everything into our project management tool that I’m actually going to take action on.

Also, for blogs and emails, sometimes I dictate those to my phone while walking the dog. It’s usually easier/faster for me to do them on the computer, but if I have a mental block, I just get outside. Whatever it takes! Sometimes you have to be creative to work with your own chemistry.

Love this mindset - our brains work similarly (aka when we don't want them to). I need to give myself more grace and just roll with it instead of being frustrated with myself.

I can definitely relate! I use Asana for personal task management. I use the Board View and create different columns: Today, Tomorrow, This Week, Next Week, Later, Idea Board. Then when i start the day I have the ideas right in front of me, where I can drag and drop all the cards around to organize my priorities.

Not perfect with this, sometimes I fall out of it and just use checklists in the notes app but when I'm in the groove I love it and it keeps me super on top of things

I think I’m blessed with this practice too to maybe a lesser extent, but I’d propose that this is actually not a problem or a bad thing: it’s just a matter of getting to know yourself better outside the context of what traditional working/corporate society dictated in the past, and then molding your working environment to help yourself thrive.

With the propulsion of remote, flexible work after the pandemic, there’s no better time than now to thrive in the style you work! If your brain refuses to think creatively or productively while seated at a desk (mine does too!), try switching to a different environment (different room, outside, coffee shop, etc), position (standing, sitting on couch, etc).

I literally just realized today that I’m more creative sitting on my patio with the laptop on my lap typing than if I have it on my patio table (sitting in the same spot!).

Does that make any sense?? lol

For tactically capturing ideas while on the go, you could start simple and try just jotting down scratch ideas in the notes app on your phone.

Or if you’re visual, use the Freeform app to draw!

Download PI.ai to your phone and have a chat with it while you're out on your walk. It's a great brainstorming tool and it records (in text) everything you say ... I highly recommend it! Not only will it record what you say, but it'll engage you in conversation and you'll have even more ideas to play with. And it's all available later in text. You can then take that text and run it through Claude.ai and ask for a summary, outlines, notes, whatever you like, and have a nice collection of material to fuel, and organize, your creativity!

Similar to Joel's process, I send myself a meeting request with the details. I cancel the meeting request once I have completed the task and/or have figured out what to do with the information.

What might seem old-school, but doctors recommend, is physically writing things down - apparently our brains remember better when we do that. You could also use a transcription or recording app on your phone and then transfer over when you’re back at your desk. Hope these help.

Val- Imposter syndrome is real and we all have had it at one time or another. First few weeks is tough and my suggestion is to meet with people throughout the organization, especially those outside of the usual suspects. Maybe legal, product management, rev ops. Maybe not people you will work with immediately, but you want to have a relationship when you do need them.
My guess I that once the summer ia over you all be firing on all cylinders and confidence will do the same. Thanks for bringing this topic up!!

Notes app, texts to myself, scheduled reminders with the idea (scheduled to when I know I'll be back at my desk), and—like Shannon said—letting some things go! The ideas sometimes circle back, but sometimes they're out in the ether and that's okat!

Hey Val! I've been dealing with this myself for the past ~ seven weeks. Immense brain fog and low motivation, even though I have so many ideas and opportunities, which honestly drilled down to anxiety. The guilt I've been feeling has been immense, and I'm feeling like I'm letting down my employer. I've been transparent with my manager and realize my guilt is more of a 'me thing.' My manager hasn't noticed anything at all. We're all much harder on ourselves. Creating smaller to-do lists, taking breaks, or changing your workspace has helped me! Happy to kick off a mental health accountability group if it helps!

Most of all, be patient with yourself! Summer blues is a real thing!

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