One thing I’ve done a lot of over the years is take notes. Whether in meetings or at conference sessions, in webinars etc, I’ve always recorded the information and added my thoughts where possible at the time.

I’ve also on and off kept a diary, or journal, recording things that have happened – sometimes in longform with a lot of detail and extra color added. And sometimes – as I’m currently doing – a simple few sentences each day outlining activities I’ve undertaken.

It’s well-known that the act of writing in itself can be beneficial for helping absorb information. But I find the key thing is to go back through these notes and diaries at a future date, in order to help cement the details in my mind and spark new ideas.

It’s obvious that meeting notes can be good for this purpose, and I’m often also pleasantly surprised by ideas that can be generated through re-reading journal entries.