But what if action is out of the question? What if you’re literally chained to your desk all dog-gone afternoon with no recourse for good behaviour?

Get those ideas down on to paper.

This way you have a tangible record. The other way and your brain leaks like a sieve, with nothing to show for that delicate piece of genius you inundated your head with the other day.

It’s fact. David Allen, the guy who wrote Getting Things Done, says once you have the idea scrawled, it’s not just your memory that benefits: the action is easier, too. And it gets even easier if, after writing the idea down, you chuck alongside it the first step you need to take to make it happen.

Face it, to do lists are just that: things to do. That probably never get done. With an action plan in front of you – even that first move – the inaugural step in your transformation from creator to innovator (thought to execution, ‘member?) is halfway complete.

Ideas to paper is sweet, too, for figuring out how to get there. I’ve had to code a particularly complex bit of conditional logic on a form for a client. I’m no coder, as you know. This makes things, well, pretty challenging. I love a challenge: you only need to see the length of my hair over my eyes to know that I’m not exactly the most logical beast, either (which makes me feel pretty bad when you see the lengths some people go to to be able to see).

If this, then that. Except when this happens, you do that. Or if that happens, then this happens, you have to press that. Then kill that rabbit.

Jesus. I’m just about there with words, but forget about arguments – I lose every time, as princess knows only too well.

So I dropped down all these things on to paper, and then drew some fancy lines with decorations stuck out of the end. Arrows, I think you call them. In English.

Suddenly the mists vanished and I had what appeared to be a plan. A plan I could achieve. Goal!

Through those few minutes of scrawl I hurdled an hour of pondering.

You can, too. And if you’re environmentally-savvy you’ll use scrap paper instead of a reporter’s notebook. It’s the only way to save the world.