Humans are idea creators. We are constantly thinking up new ways to do things. Sometimes this can be distracting. [David Seah](http://davidseah.com/) describes the problem this way.
>I’m sometimes distracted by too many project ideas. When the ideas pile up, my productivity sinks because I keep thinking about them, and multitasking slows me down. To keep focused, I evolved a mind trick called The Pickle Jar...
This is a simple way to control the inflow of new ideas so they do not disrupt you and your team.
David goes on to say:
>The Pickle Jar is an actual glass jar that once held pickles. Next to it is a square pad of paper, about 4 inches on the side. To get unrelated thoughts out of my mind, I write down a brief synopsis down, fold it twice, and put it into the Jar.
![Pickle jar](http://www.lloydwilliamsinc.com/wp-content/uploads/pickle_jar.jpg)
>The physical act of writing down, folding, and then "pickling" the idea for later consumption is weirdly cathartic. Since I'm no longer in danger of forgetting the thought, I can relax. The act of formulating on paper has also satisfied the urge to follow up on it. The size of the paper also prevents you from writing too much…there's just enough room to get the essence of the idea down.
>The best part: You can see that you've got the ideas queued up, but it's hard to retrieve them. They're in a jar!
For more information about the [pickle jar](http://davidseah.com/archives/2004/09/21/picklejar/).
What method do you use to avoid having new ideas disrupt you and your team?