Evernote is a wonderful tool for capturing ideas and inspiration on the fly. But its simple, easy to use toolset also makes it an ideal platform for nurturing and developing your ideas over a period of time.

Here’s how I use Evernote for progressive ideation:

Step one: I capture ideas quickly on my iPhone by dictating them into Evernote using Siri. This is frictionless. I can do it anytime, anywhere. It’s excellent for capturing at least a nugget of an idea, sometimes more, if time permits.

Step two: I return to this note periodically over the next week or two, adding more details and inspiration to it. Because I am in a slightly different frame of mind each time, this progressive layering of ideas usually yields a rich harvest of insights.

During this progressive ideation process, I may add notes that remind me what the next step is to develop my idea, additional information needed and so forth. This makes it very easy for me to pick up where I left off. It is, so to speak, like a “digital trail of breadcrumbs.”

Step three: Eventually, the ideas I’ve collected in the note have reached a critical mass and are ready to be developed into an article, report or another piece of content. At this point, I simply flesh out the idea, adding depth and context to it, and publish it.

Why this approach works so well in Evernote

This technique of progressive ideation is perfectly aligned with the proven creativity technique of incubation. During this step of the creative process, after a period of initial brainstorming, you walk away from your creative challenge for several days or several hours. Even though you’re not consciously thinking about it during that time, your subconscious mind continues to do so. When you return to your challenge, you come to it with a mind brimming full of new ideas and insights, which bubble up from your subconscious mind, waiting to be captured in Evernote.

In addition, the elements of your idea that you have already captured serve as stimuli to prompt further ideas and insights. The result is a perfect storm of creative output.

Want to capitalize on more of your ideas?

I’ve created a simple, 5-step framework that can you can use in Evernote to imagine, capture, evaluate and take action on your most valuable ideas ever.