Ask HN: How do you keep track of your ideas? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: How do you keep track of your ideas?

#21

Post by strangerstudios » Wed, Oct 26, 2011, 12:25 PM UTC

I found Google Wave really useful for keeping track of ideas, especially to share with other people.

Google Wave of course is being shut down at some point, but it will carry on in some form: http://www.google.com/support/wave/bin/answer.py?answer=1083...

Re: Ask HN: How do you keep track of your ideas?

#22

Post by rpwilcox » Thu, Oct 27, 2011, 4:09 PM UTC

If the idea seems viable I'll put it in my personal Kanban board (in a "Waiting" swim-lane). This Kanban board is a project level queue - one card per project.

If my "Active Projects" kanban swim lane has some space, I'll pull from the "Waiting" swim-lane.

This way I can schedule those ideas, if I have some time (shown by the swim-lanes on the Kanban Board)

Re: Ask HN: How do you keep track of your ideas?

#23

Post by tep » Thu, Oct 27, 2011, 4:12 PM UTC

fabiandesimone wrote: post #12

Have you tried Evernote? Is fantastic. I can't imagine not using it.

If you run linux, I recommend BasKet: http://basket.kde.org/

Re: Ask HN: How do you keep track of your ideas?

#24

Post by sathishmanohar » Fri, Oct 28, 2011, 4:08 PM UTC

Evernote + Google Docs. Thats it.

When ideas include sketches, I just draw it on a paper, and take a picture of the paper with evernote, and throw the paper away, that way I get the best of both worlds.

Re: Ask HN: How do you keep track of your ideas?

#25

Post by strick » Fri, Oct 28, 2011, 5:17 PM UTC

ideas.txt and dropbox is my primary system.

I've also played around with Simplenote on iOS plus the mac software Notational Velocity. They sync nicely.

Re: Ask HN: How do you keep track of your ideas?

#26

Post by dpatru » Sat, Oct 29, 2011, 1:16 AM UTC

johnnyjustice wrote: post #11

lien wrote: post #3

i never keep track of my ideas. i only have a few that really stand out and those i never forget. if your ideas don't come back to you over and over again, then those aren't good ideas. also, i try to be proactive about finding out whether they're good ideas by talking to people - anyone - old bosses, old friends, new friends, guys who hit on me at coffee shop, etc. Why do ideas have to be private? if you have an ide…

How do you balance that with the culture of patenting and fear of ideas being stolen?

One of the best ways to protect yourself from patents is to have the idea first and publish it. It's hard for a patent applicant to argue the he is the first inventor and that the idea was non-obvious if it was published in a blog.

Re: Ask HN: How do you keep track of your ideas?

#27

Post by lien » Sat, Oct 29, 2011, 7:21 AM UTC

johnnyjustice wrote: post #11

lien wrote: post #3

i never keep track of my ideas. i only have a few that really stand out and those i never forget. if your ideas don't come back to you over and over again, then those aren't good ideas. also, i try to be proactive about finding out whether they're good ideas by talking to people - anyone - old bosses, old friends, new friends, guys who hit on me at coffee shop, etc. Why do ideas have to be private? if you have an ide…

How do you balance that with the culture of patenting and fear of ideas being stolen?

corporations care about ideas being stolen because hundreds of millions are at stake. When you are a startup you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. that includes telling everyone about what you are doing.

Re: Ask HN: How do you keep track of your ideas?

#28

Post by ccarnino » Mon, Oct 31, 2011, 10:54 PM UTC

A Springpad memo. I always tray to describe the idea at lease in 3 key points. Problem, Solution, Business model.

Then I write down everything else.

Re: Ask HN: How do you keep track of your ideas?

#29

Post by bobsoap » Mon, Oct 31, 2011, 11:03 PM UTC

fabiandesimone wrote: post #12

Have you tried Evernote? Is fantastic. I can't imagine not using it.

No concerns regarding privacy and trusting a 3rd party with your ideas?

Re: Ask HN: How do you keep track of your ideas?

#30

Post by fabiandesimone » Mon, Oct 31, 2011, 11:13 PM UTC

bobsoap wrote: post #29

fabiandesimone wrote: post #12

Have you tried Evernote? Is fantastic. I can't imagine not using it.

No concerns regarding privacy and trusting a 3rd party with your ideas?

Not at all. I'm not sure they are reading my notes and even if they did I'm not sure they are worth much without execution.