These 4 Daily Practices Will Turn You Into An Effortless (& Prolific) Creator

Ev Chapman
February 23, 2022
2 min read

I've never run out of ideas in the year I've been writing online

My ideas list is always overflowing with new things to write about & I often get asked where I get so many writing ideas from. The truth is much simpler than you might think. Every one of my ideas comes out of my daily note-taking practices.

These 4 daily note-taking practices fuel my wholecreative life:

Take Notes While Reading. I call these 'Spark Notes' because they are sparks of insight that comes up as I consume content. They are usually ugly, messy quick scratches that act as a placeholder for further thinking. They form the basis of the writing inbox.

Write & Think Daily From The Writing Inbox. Most people stop at step one and never really experience the benefit of note-taking for creators. Successful creators develop a daily practice of diving into the writing inbox and using the spark notes as a jumping-off point for thinking & gaining insight around topics & ideas. Writing permanent notes is the conduit for that thinking.

Build Up Your Thought Lab. My thought lab is where I store my library of permanent notes - My independent thought about an idea or concept. Each note is connected into a cluster that grows over time. These clusters form the basis of all my future writing.

Create From The Overflow . The hard work of creating is done every day in the daily practices of taking notes, thinking in the writing inbox & building up clusters of notes. Now when you are looking for ideas to write about you can wander through your library of notes & ideas and take your pick.

Publishing becomes effortless because you've put in the hard work of note-taking upfront & the rest is the easy part.

Liked thIS? Then You Might Like My SPARK Newsletter...

My best content in your inbox each Sunday.
Learn How To Build Your Unique Personal Knowledge & Share It With The World

Join 1200+ other creators building a magnificent obsession around their their unique ideas.
Or Keep Browsing More Posts Like This...

My Powerful Note-Taking Workflow That Turns Information Into Insight ⚡️

Peek behind the scenes into my workflow for taking notes from articles I read using Matter and turning them into real insights & knowledge.
Read post

How To Keep A Full Writing Inbox (That Serves You Inspiration Everyday)

My Writing Inbox is one inbox I prefer full not empty
Read post

The Four Stages Of Building Knowledge

Ideas take time to emerge. I rarely go from a new spark idea to a fully formed thesis in one spark writing session. They need time to soak & marinate. Often over days, weeks or even months.
Read post

How to Build a Spark Writing Practice That Will Ignite Your Creativity

I've been building what I now call my Spark Writing habit for the past 3 years. I'm not sure I've explained this before, but It's actually what set me on the path of becoming a creator and writing online. The more I built knowledge privately, the more I wanted to share publicly.
Read post

How To Swap Your Blank Screen For A Content Bank Overflowing With Ideas

Even after 10+ years as a content marketer, I still hate that moment at the start of the week when I’m staring down the barrel of a blank screen, wondering what to post.So I swapped a blank screen for a 🏦 Content Bank full of ideas.
Read post

6,000 Thoughts a Day: Why A Capture Habit is Crucial for Content Creators

Capturing ideas is the single most important thing I do as a creator everyday.It's a cornerstone habit that cascades into every part of my content creation. When I sit down to 'do content' I don't have to spend any time brainstorming ideas. I have more than enough ideas to work with because I've captured them beforehand.
Read post