Never Lose an Idea Again: My Notion + iPhone Shortcuts Idea Capture System

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Have you ever had a brilliant idea while walking down the street, only to forget it completely by the time you got home? Or maybe you’ve thought of the perfect content topic while in the shower, but it vanished from your mind when you had time to work on it.

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I’ve been there too many times. Ideas are fleeting - they pop into our heads at random moments, and without a system to capture them, they disappear just as quickly.

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In this post, I’ll share the idea capture system I’ve built using Notion and iPhone Shortcuts that has completely transformed how I manage my creative thoughts and tasks. This setup allows me to quickly capture different types of ideas with just a few taps, organizing them automatically into the right Notion databases.

The Problem: Ideas That Disappear Forever

Before implementing this system, I found myself constantly losing ideas that came to mind throughout the week. I’d think of a great content topic while commuting, a potential product idea while having coffee, or remember an important task while in the middle of something else.

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If I didn’t write these down immediately, they were gone forever. And even when I did jot them down, they often ended up scattered across different note apps, text files, or scraps of paper – making them practically impossible to find when I actually needed them.

My Current Setup: Quick Capture to Organized Databases

My solution combines the organizational power of Notion databases with the accessibility of iPhone Shortcuts. Here’s how it works:

For Tasks: SyncTasks App

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While my focus today is on idea capture, I should mention that for task management, I use the SyncTasks app that connects directly to my Notion task database. This allows me to:

• Quickly add new tasks
• Change due dates and times
• Postpone tasks with a simple action
• View and manage my tasks on the go

This has been great for keeping track of actionable items, but I needed something different for capturing ideas.

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For Ideas: Custom iPhone Shortcut

For ideas, I created a custom shortcut called “Idea Capture” that lets me quickly add three different types of entries to specific Notion databases:

1. Notes - General thoughts that aren’t categorized yet
2. Content Ideas - Potential topics for blog posts, social media, etc.
3. Product Ideas - Concepts for new products or features

With just a few taps, I can select the type of idea I want to capture and add it to the appropriate Notion database.

How My Notion Database System is Organized

In Notion, I have separate databases set up for each type of content:

1. A general Notes database within my Life Hub system where miscellaneous thoughts and notes can be organized into categories later
2. A dedicated Content Ideas database specifically for tracking potential content topics
3. A Product Ideas database for storing product concepts and feature ideas

This separation helps me during my review process, as I can focus on one category at a time when deciding what to develop further.

The Benefits of This System

After using this system for about two weeks, I’ve already noticed significant improvements:

• No more lost ideas - Everything gets captured and stored in the right place
• Reduced mental load - I don’t have to remember ideas; I can just capture them immediately
• Easier content planning - When it’s time to create content, I have a database of ideas ready to go
• Better product development - Product ideas accumulate over time, giving me a list to evaluate when I’m ready to build
• Streamlined review process - I can review different types of ideas separately, making decision-making more focused

The biggest win has been the speed of capture. The friction of opening Notion, navigating to the right database, and creating a new entry was just enough to make me skip capturing ideas sometimes. With this shortcut system, that friction is gone.

How to Set Up Your Own Idea Capture System

Want to create a similar system? Here’s how to do it:

Step 1: Set Up Your Notion Databases

First, create the databases in Notion that will store your ideas:

1. Create a new database for each type of note you want to capture
2. Keep it simple - you can just have a Name property for starters
3. Set it up as a List view for easy scanning

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Step 2: Set Up Notion API Integration

To connect Shortcuts to Notion, you’ll need to create an API integration:

1. Go to https://developers.notion.com/​

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2. Click on “View my integrations” in the top right corner (make sure you’re logged into your Notion account)

3. Click “New integration” and name it something like “iPhone Shortcuts”

4. Select your workspace and click “Submit”

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Step 3: Connect Your Databases to the Integration

For each database you created:

1. Open the database in Notion (make sure you click on the button to open it fully)

2. Click the “…” menu in the top right

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3. Scroll down to “Connections” and click on it

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4. Select the integration you just created

5. This gives the integration permission to add content to this database

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Step 4: Create Individual Shortcuts

For each type of idea you want to capture:

1. Download this template shortcut: https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/55d9a99d87c744299046faf1939efd36​
2. Open the shortcut and find the “Create a page with…” action
3. In the database field, select the appropriate Notion database
4. If prompted, enter your API key
5. Save the shortcut with an appropriate name (e.g., “Add Note”, “Add Content Idea”, etc.)
6. Repeat for each idea type you want to capture

Step 5: Create a Menu Shortcut (Optional)

To create a menu that lets you choose between different idea types:

1. Create a new shortcut
2. Add a “Choose from Menu” action
3. Name the menu “What do you want to capture”
4. Add menu items for each idea type (Note, Content Idea, Product Idea, etc.)
5. In each menu section, add a “Run Shortcut” action
6. Select the corresponding shortcut you created in Step 4
7. Save this shortcut with a name like “Idea Capture”

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Step 6: Add the Shortcut to Your Home Screen

For quick access:

1. Open the Shortcuts app
2. Find your menu shortcut
3. Tap the chevron down (↓) icon
4. Select “Add to Home Screen”
5. Choose an icon and name
6. Tap “Add”

Now you can capture ideas with just a tap from your home screen!

Limitations and Workarounds

While this system has been working great for me, there is one limitation worth mentioning:

The Notion API (when used with Shortcuts) doesn’t allow editing properties when adding items. This means that if you want to categorize notes in a single database with different properties (like “type = content idea” or “type = product idea”), you can’t do it directly through Shortcuts.

That’s why I opted to use separate databases for different idea types instead of a single database with categorization.

If you really want the single-database approach, there’s an app called “Nautomate” that allows more advanced Notion property editing from your iPhone, but this functionality requires the pro version. For my purposes, the multiple database approach works perfectly fine.

Conclusion: Build Your Own Second Brain

This idea capture system has become an essential part of my “second brain” setup. By reducing the friction of capturing ideas, I’m building a valuable repository of thoughts, concepts, and tasks that I can draw from whenever I need inspiration or direction.

The key is to make capture as easy as possible, while ensuring everything ends up in a structured system where you can find it later. With Notion as the backbone and iPhone Shortcuts as the quick capture tool, I’ve found a balance that works perfectly for my workflow.

If you’re looking to create a more comprehensive system for managing your life, tasks, and notes in Notion, you might be interested in my Life Hub Template, which provides a complete framework for organizing your digital life.

Have you built a similar system for capturing ideas? I’d love to hear about your approach in the comments!

Do you have questions about setting up this system? Let me know in the comments and I’ll help you troubleshoot.