How to turn your (phone) camera into a capture system

As a leader and entrepreneur, it can sometimes feel like we’re juggling a never-ending stream of tasks and responsibilities. However, there’s one tool that has been invaluable to me and has tremendously helped with this feeling of overwhelm: capture systems.

I’ve written about them before, but capture buckets act as an external storage space where I can quickly and easily deposit any fleeting thought, idea, or task that comes to mind, ensuring that they don't get lost in the chaos.

By doing this real-time offloading, I dramatically free my mental bandwidth. Our brains, despite their capacity, are inundated with a barrage of daily inputs. By actively transitioning these to an organized space, it allows me to focus more on the present. With that said, the magic truly happens when I review my capture buckets regularly (weekly). Without this ritual, those stored thoughts just morph into another source of clutter.

Today I’m specifically writing about how to level up your capture system by leveraging your phone camera (the right way). But if you’d like to learn a bit more about how capture systems work, Click Here.

We've grown so accustomed to the powerful camera devices in our pockets that we often overlook their potential beyond capturing memories or social media moments. However, by turning our cellphone photos into a capture bucket, we can magnify their utility and impact on our productivity.

Take receipts and expenses, for instance. As a founder, these can be quite the hassle to track. After a business meal or purchase, instead of stuffing that receipt into my pocket, I simply snap a picture of it. No stress, no fuss. Or, see an ad I really like? Capture a photo to digest later.

Now, I know that some of you already take photos once in a while in an attempt to review at a later date… But, it hasn’t been very effective. Instead, you end up with an overloaded photo library. The problem is that you don’t have a system to actually process them regularly. This makes your capture bucket a lot less reliable and enticing to use. That’s where weekly reviews come in.

At the end of each week, I review my photos from the prior week, keep my favorites (making it a lot more enjoyable to scroll down memory lane), and handle any items that were captured. As soon as I take action on a captured item, I delete it.

But, I already know that you’re unlikely to actually do this every week (even though I highly recommend it). So instead, try getting in the habit of at least scrolling through your photos weekly, just to make sure you process any important things you may have captured. This way, your photos become a viable capture bucket which will teach your subconscious that you have somewhat of a system, helping you close more open loops lingering in the brain.

If you’d like to learn more about my weekly reviews, Click Here.

If you’ve decided to give this a try, great. The next step is to create a time block in your calendar where you’ll review your photos, and any other designated capture buckets (my phone notes also make an excellent capture bucket). Give yourself 30 minutes to start, and adapt from there.

If you’d like to learn more about time blocking, Click Here.

Transforming your productivity doesn't always require new tools or software. Sometimes, it's simply about leveraging what's already at our fingertips.

See you all next, next Thursday 👋

(🍯🌔 time)

PS. Whenever you're ready... Here are three ways I can help you systemize & automate operations: