Idea to plan

Turn a rough idea into a plan you can send.

Four steps, in the order you actually think. Nothing is forced upfront, and the finished plan still points back at the note you started with.

Empty your head

Capture and planning are free. Export needs a free account.

Dump in, plan out

A messy thought becomes a structured plan.

The note you wrote at a red light, turned into Problem, Audience, Idea and Next Step, with the original left exactly as you typed it.

Capture

i want to build an app for runners… maybe ai, maybe streaks… not sure where to start.
just now Ideas

i want to build an…

i want to build an app for runners… maybe ai, maybe streaks… not sure where to start.

Original note, unchanged ✎ Edit

i want to build an app for runners… maybe ai, maybe streaks… not sure where to start.

Highlight any line to promote it into the plan. The original is never rewritten.

Plan 4 sections

This is where your plan takes shape.

Problem
Consistency breaks in the flat weeks between races
Audience
Runners between two race entries
Idea
build an app for runners
from original dump
Next Step
Ask 5 runners what week two after a race feels like
Your words, unchanged. Every section still points at them.
  1. Raw thought
  2. Captured
  3. You pick what matters
  4. Plan takes shape
  5. Still linked to your note
The four cards on the right are real plan sections - Problem, Audience, Idea, Next Step. Anything pulled straight out of your note keeps a link back to the exact words it came from.

What stays connected

Where each part of the plan came from.

One sentence, typed badly at a red light, followed through all four steps.

  1. 01 · what you wrote

    Original note, unchanged

    ok so the idea keeps coming back, weekend ceramics workshops in the old mill space. worried about kiln access. maybe 4 sessions before autumn?

    Saved exactly as you typed it. Nothing you do later rewrites this.

  2. 02 · what you picked

    Highlight a line, give it a type.

    You choose which parts are worth developing. Ten types, from Goal and Problem to Risk and Next Step.

  3. 03 · what it became

    Idea
    weekend ceramics workshops in the old mill space
    from original dump

    The section keeps the exact span it came from, and hovering it in Shape lights that line up in your note.

  4. 04 · where it ends up

    # Weekend ceramics workshops
    > ok so the idea keeps coming back…
    ## Idea
    weekend ceramics workshops in the old mill space

    Export it as Markdown and your original note is quoted at the top of the file, above everything you built from it.

A notes app

Capture → store → find later

The words are kept. What to do with them is still entirely your problem.

A prompt box

Prompt → generate → output

A document arrives fast, and which part of it started as your thinking is anyone's guess.

ideaboxd

Capture → choose → develop → plan

You drive each step, and every piece of the plan keeps a link back to the line it came from.

Step one: get it out

Open the box and write. The dump is saved instantly and never overwritten afterwards.

Step two: find what is missing

ideaboxd raises the questions the note has not settled. Answer them or skip them.

Step three: build the plan beside it

Highlighted lines become typed sections, each carrying a link back to the original.

Step four: hand it off

Mark it Ready and export it in the format the next person actually wants.

The whole journey stays visible

Dump, Refine, Plan, Ready. You always know how far an idea has come.

Questions

About turning ideas into plans.

How long does it take to turn an idea into a plan?
Capture takes seconds. Shaping usually happens in a second sitting, because the point of the four steps is that you come back to the idea with a clear head rather than forcing structure at the moment you have it.
What formats can I export a plan in?
Markdown, plain text, a checklist, a project brief or a PDF, each with a live preview before you copy or download. The Markdown export keeps your original note quoted at the top of the file, above everything you built from it.
Can I edit the plan after building it?
Yes. Sections can be edited, retyped or removed at any time, and you can add sections by hand rather than promoting them from the dump. The original note stays as written either way.
Do I need an account to export a plan?
Yes, a free one. Guest mode covers capture, refining and planning on your device; export, sync and backup are what signing in unlocks.

Ready when you are

From a stray thought to something sendable.

Start with the messiest idea you have. That is the one it is for.

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