How to avoid becoming paralyzed by too many ideas
If you are a creative, you most likely the type that has so many ideas. Good ideas! So many ideas! While it may seem like a blessing, it often feels like a curse and that you aren’t actually moving or taking action. You feel scattered, confused and overwhelmed. I am no stranger to the overwhelming sensation that too many ideas can bring. I have loved this journey of starting my business so far, however sometimes I feel paralyzed and pulled too many directions. While it is an exciting place to be, it is best to develop a process to help tame those ideas, and avoid becoming paralyzed.
For instance, I have developed a lot of future goals for Spruce Rd. Some of these include passive income, expanding the services I offer, clarifying my ideal client, etc. I often find problems other businesses have, that I can use my skill set to develop a solution. I love problem-solving, however it is a dangerous place to be if you are always changing gears and shifting focus. There is a tough balance between allowing a natural growth to occur in your blog or business, while staying true to your vision. You want to
expand your business intentionally
, and avoid diluting your brand across too many platforms.
Here are a few ways to tame those ideas:
Keep a running list
As mentioned before, I am a huge fan of Evernote. One of the main purposes I use Evernote for is brainstorming. I have notes delegated for blog post ideas, passive income ideas, and a few other Spruce Rd. future goals. You don’t have to use Evernote – Google Drive, or a simple pen + paper will do the trick. The key is to jot down any idea you have. Your notes are just for you, so don’t allow negativity to creep in! Be bold in your future goals.
If I get really invested in an idea up front, I like to get as specific as I can in the brainstorming phase. You can also reference these notes anytime you have a sudden hit of inspiration. This list has been great for blog post ideas. As mentioned in an
, I have a few select categories that each blog post falls under. This helps me structure my brainstorming a bit!
Don’t act too fast
Though your new idea to open up a shop, start an e-course, or offer a new service seems great up front, I encourage you to take a bit of time to meditate on your new idea. You want to give yourself enough time to do the research and develop a strategy to implement your new idea. During this time, you can really hone in on the details of this project, as well as develop a marketing plan for it. This doesn’t have to be elaborate, but it helps to be strategic in building excitement over your new product/service/idea!
Does this idea align with your goals?
In tangent with taking your time, you want to ask yourself:
Does this new idea align with my brand vision + goals?
What message are you sending your audience? You want to ensure that your brand expansion does not seem so different than what you currently offer, and instead build a
. If you offer something that seems contrary to your brand, you are likely going to lose followers, consumers and advocates for your brand. You want to steer clear of confusing your audience!
Do you struggle with too many ideas swarming in your head? Let me know how you tame these ideas, and take action!
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[…] paralysis is a real thing. When you’re brainstorming for the new year, avoid getting stuck on too many ideas with these […]
Elle Ay Esse
This is such a common issues I hear about from new clients who are wanting to start a blog. When I ask them in my questionnaire about what they plan to blog about the list seems endless. Thank you for sharing this! I now include this url in my emails to those types of clients so I can help them understand why picking a few is what they should be doing.
Thanks!
– Elle Ay Esse
http://www.eae-design.com/
Mallie Hart
Fantastic publish. I often fall prey to idea overload and overwhelm. I’m glad someone else admitted that it can be less than easy to decide which idea to move to the top of the execute list. And sometimes fan-fricking-tabulous ideas should remain as just that, ideas.
Some ideas just shouldn’t move on to the execution stage.
Bonita
This is me! I’ve often said that if I had a ticker tape that just ran all the time with every idea that comes into my head, I could make a fortune selling those ideas. I’m still working on being more focused and less overwhelmed. What has worked for me thus far is to narrow my niche and then narrow it some more so that I have a sharper focus, making it easier to weed out what does not align with my goals. Also, I’ve learned the hard way not to act too fast. I was/am that person who has been spread too thin and has had to cut back and delete a lot of things from every area of life. I keep reminding myself that ideas usually take longer to implement than I imagined they would and that there is only one of me and 24 hours in a day to get the job done. Thanks so much for letting me know I’m not alone!
Renee
Great artilce, I am that person who see if she can do it all and I have to step back and ask myself does this align with my goals. I , take a deep breathe,cry and shout and realize the new idea does not. Thanks this article is on time. Thanks again. I truly needed to be reminding of my pulses.
Progress over Perfection - Spruce Rd.Spruce Rd.
[…] though, these ideas can become paralyzing, and you just need to take action! If you’ve done the research and given it some serious […]
Jody
Great post, Jamie! I understand exactly what this feels like and think your tips are great suggestions. I need to remind myself more often that I can take it slow—I definitely tend to get excited about an idea and try to move forward and then get disappointed when I realize it’s unattainable at the fast rate I think I need to have. 🙂
I wouldn’t be able to function with out Todoist—I categorize my “future” ideas in a folder but can set goals for attainable things I can do in the near future. It’s a great task manager and has a nice UI and user experience.
Also, I think the Get to Work Book by Elise Cripe looks like a really neat product for tracking ideas, setting goals and making them happen. It’s a paper planner that is built for people like us! http://gettoworkbook.com/
Jamie
Thanks Jody! I am the same way! I get so excited about an idea, and am ready to move forward ASAP. I have learned to tame that initial excitement just a bit, and make sure it is something I want to fully pursue.
I love that you mentioned the UI design of Todist :). Love those details! Such a great idea for setting attainable short term goals to help reach that long-term future goal! I would love to hear more behind the scenes of your future ideas!
Brittany • Adventure & the Wild
This is a constant struggle for me as well. I have a love/hate relationship with all the ideas swarming around in my head 🙂 I use Trello to keep my ideas organized. I have a board on Trello that I use to keep a running list. I can add in details as they come to each card, and when I’m ready to put it into action, all I have to do is move it to my “Current” board and it has a action checklist ready to go!
Jamie
So glad I am not alone with this struggle! Keeping an organized list helps me as well! I’ve heard good things about Trello, I might have to check it out next!