What do you do with new ideas?
I bet they're causing you joy and excitement. But they can also make you anxious. You'll never find the time to test them all out.
So, how can we handle ideas calmly?
The first step is to write them down somewhere you know you'll find them again. This can be a digital note-taking program or simply pen and paper.
What I do next depends on the class of the idea.
Quick idea for a specific goal? Implement now.
The first class of ideas are ones that belong to a specific goal I have and that I can implement in a short amount of time. Examples are ideas for articles or newsletter issues, for tweets, and a better way to fix bug #3782.
If I have a few minutes of time, I start writing. Either a few bullet points, or a rough draft. When inspiration strikes is a great time to act on it.
All other ideas? Write down and assess later.
The second class are all the ideas that either don't belong to a specific goal or that take longer to implement. Examples are a new marketing strategy for Nerdful Mind, or a new feature idea for a software project.
For me, it doesn't make much sense to drop whatever I'm working on to dive head-first into that idea. I have so many more ideas of this class that I could never realize all of them. So I just put them in my ideas backlog. And when my next planning session comes around, I flip through them.
If then there's anything I want to allocate time for, I do so.
“Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them.”—David Allen, Author of ‘Getting Things Done’
Running after every idea is much more costly and nerve-wrecking than sitting on a great idea for a few days.
You can't do everything. So write your ideas down, be grateful you have them, and act calmly and consciously.
Reading Recommendations
The Science and Practice of Staying Present Through Difficult Times
“Research suggests that when we turn towards pain and discomfort, we can experience less of it. Plus — a guided meditation for being mindful when things get tough.”
How Bats React to the Decoy Effect
“In terms of consumer behavior, when people are presented with two options, they most often go for the cheapest item. Yet, when a third, middle-priced item is added, people are more likely to opt for a more expensive item, believing it to be a better bargain. This is called the decoy effect. A new study reports bats, like humans, are prone to fall for the decoy effect.”
“When you make them an admin, they are able to perform a wide variety of actions beyond the scope of the intended purpose, and can view dashboards and see information that is unrelated to managing channels. We needed to build a system that was more flexible and allowed for granular permissions. We’d like to share the problems we were facing with roles, the solution we implemented, and our plans for the future.”
Weekly Mindfulness Practice
On your next walk outside, look at your neighborhood as if you were a tourist. Find 5 things you never noticed before.
How did these discoveries make you feel?
End Note
If you enjoy this newsletter, please share it with someone you know. Just forward them this email.
Have a great week
Simon
PS: What do you think about this? Please hit reply and let me know. I'm curious!