(Originally published at Medium.com, June 6, 2013.)
You know the “junk
drawer” in your home? Oh, c’mon, everybody has one – it’s generally in the
kitchen, but could be the office (actually my desk has one, too) or garage.
Wherever yours is, it likely contains the little odds-and-ends that come in
handy and are a pain to find if they were in their rightful place. Utility
scissors, scotch tape, a couple of tacks, matches, zip ties, a small hammer,
batteries, rubber bands … sound familiar?
I just realized that
I also create a daily “junk document.” Yep, this very article began with
thought fragments on a junk document.
Do you open a new
page in your word processor and just start dumping things onto it? I do.
Generally first thing in the morning as I peruse news headlines, or as the
coffee kicks in; but I can be half way through my day before anything of
interest pops up that I’m not immediately sure where to store, expand on, or
disseminate.
I may not know what
I’m going to do with the information or thoughts; but they’re more than mildly
interesting and too important to be fleeting. (And all of my thoughts are
fleeting these days, if I don’t write them down!)
