My Ultimate Brainstorming Tool

I was reading Chris Brogans blog post today about what goes into redrawing, http://ow.ly/1wKhG and I realized that my most trusted tool is sitting on my desk, right next to my keyboard. Here's the thoughts that passed through my head moments later.

When ever I'm faced with a problem, I mean a real problem, something that I'm just not sure how to tackle, I reach for my trusty tool, not an IPad, not my laptop, not my smart phone(none of which I have) but a yellow legal pad and a ballpoint pen.

I've always found a legal pad is the most trusted tool in my arsenal, simply because it gives me more versatility than any "tech tool." If i want to type an outline, or a recommendation I'll jump on the computer, but if I want to brainstorm or really dig into a topic and work out a problem I reach for a piece of paper. The notepad lets me put everything down, mash all my ideas together but still keep them separate, and i can add "images" (meaning anything from stars, circles, little doodles, stick figures, anything!) that help me track my thought process, which as many of my coworkers know can be all over the place once my mental engine starts heating up.

So just humor me here, next time you need to brainstorm, or just get around to rethinking something, anything..... don't pull out your IPhone, IPad, Laptop, or anything requiring batteries. Dig into the top drawer and grab one of those legal pads you ordered with your company logo on it. The ones that seemed like such a great idea at the time, but you can't even manage to give away..... put it to good use. The trees will thank you for it and who knows, you might be able to let your brain run with a little more freedom, and a little less of the "font and format" restrictions of a word doc.