Memory Recall: Great Ideas that Drifted into Dreams

You know how, when you're comfortable in bed, waiting for sleep to take you off to dreamland and you suddenly get a great idea? Sure, you could get up and write it down, or type it out on a presumably close-by mobile device, but either of those physical actions will undoubtedly jostle you from near-slumber. As someone who lies in bed for at least an hour before actually falling asleep, that's the number one thing I'd like to avoid. So here's a trick I've learned, and it can help you make sure those brilliant ideas don't drift off, while you do.

It's simple, really. All you've got to do is visualize each curve, line, and dot, of each individual letter as you mentally write your idea down with your visual pen or pencil. I don't even bother visualizing the paper, or even my hands holding the writing utensil; just the bare necessities, baby. 

I've tried this exercise with a visual keyboard on a laptop, or even visualizing typing it out with my thumbs on the note app and found that didn't work nearly as well. Even as I was visualizing it, I could tell, 'this isn't going to work; even reading actual digital things doesn't stick as much as reading actual physical books'. What works for one, may not work for another though, so this may work for you better than it did with me. 

Whichever writing utensil you decide to visualize, the important thing is focus. Repetition also helps tremendously; sometimes when I visualize writing my idea, my mind will wander and I'll have to re-visualize a letter. Whenever I re-visualize a letter, I'll usually finish visualizing the word of the idea, then repeat the entire word or phrase all over again, just to be sure. 

When the next morning comes around, you'll quite possibly be surprised at just how well this works, and how quickly you remember your post-sleep idea. I am the farthest from being a morning person, and typically my visualized pre-sleep ideas will bubble up to the surface of my mind between the first and second cup of coffee. Give it a try tonight, even if it isn't a great idea you have, just try to store one of your pre-sleep thoughts for retrieval the next morning; it's a fun exercise nonetheless.