5 Things To Do When You Have Too Many Ideas
How to avoid overwhelm when ideas are swirling.
By: Shannon Siriano Greenwood
If you are a creative person, or a natural problem solver, you may have encountered a season when the ideas are flowing. You wake up energized by the possibility of something new. A new project, business idea, or an opportunity to fix something you know needs to be fixed, like yesterday.
While these creative sparks feel really good, sometimes they can overwhelm and distract from important things that really need to get done now, in our current reality.
As someone who has endless ideas and just enough resources to be dangerous, I often get swirled up in a new idea frenzy. These are five tools that I have used to come back to Earth long enough to fully explore and execute one idea at a time.
Idea Parking Lot
Whether it’s a whiteboard somewhere or a notes app in your phone, having a destination to record your brilliant ideas helps you document them in a safe space. I add and delete ideas big and small from my “Shiny Object List” on a regular basis. I can visit them any time I want, but I don’t have to do anything with them until they are too compelling to leave on read.
Remember Your Goals
I have begun the practice of getting super clear about my personal goals before I jump into any project. What is important to me is time for myself and the people who I love (friends and family), work that gives me energy, opportunities to express my creativity, and flexibility to be the primary parent in my household. If any of my ideas conflicts or restricts one of those goals, I need to cancel it off my consideration list.
Explore With Guardrails
Sometimes a creative spark needs exploration. It is just too enticing to walk away. In this case, I give myself some guardrails with room to explore. I can have X number of conversations with potential partners, or give myself so many hours of pinteresting to collect other ideas, or a certain amount of time to explore before diving in or bailing out.
Talk to Friends
I am a verbal processor, so it is part of my creative process to talk to people about my ideas. Luckily I have established a great group of people who will tell me what they really think (not what they think I want to hear). This sounding board has helped me avoid many ideas that were the definition of shiny object (hello: Juice Bar Crawl) and encouraged me with thoughtful questions to help me clarify my goals and expectations for a project.
Harness Your Creative Energy
There is a reason for the creative adrenaline rush of new ideas, so I know I can’t avoid it. When I start to feel the ideas swirling, I do my best to funnel that energy into the projects I have on the docket. There is nothing wrong with creative exploration, even when you are working on a deadline. It can sometimes fuel you to exactly the new idea you were waiting for.
