Turning Ideas into Action

​I’ve always been able to come up with ideas, some good and some bad. At times being able to generate a lot of ideas has been my downfall.

​Too many ideas can sometimes be overwhelming to the point of inaction. It’s so easy to get caught up in the next shiny, new thing that the last shiny, new thing gets forgotten.

I always find the challenge is holding onto an idea long enough to really consider its worth and determine what action might be required to test its feasibility. ​

Too often one idea gets displaced by another before any action is taken and in the past I’ve often been left with a trail of ‘would have, could have, should have’ vague ideas that fizzled out like fireworks after their initial bedazzlement.

Recently this has changed for me. I’ve developed a process that helps me to make a conscious and deliberate decision on whether to pursue an idea to its end point or not. It’s not rocket science but sometimes the simple and obvious approach isn’t always, well obvious.

​Anyway, here’s what I do.

1. Take time to write my idea down. It doesn’t matter where although I’ve started a ‘Cunning Plans’ journal to capture my thoughts and ideas.
2. Decide what the next major step in developing that idea would be. It might be doing some research on whether there is already a similar product/service out there, developing a mind map to explore the idea further or preparing a business plan to bring together the information you need to determine the idea’s feasibility.
3. Set a time frame to achieve this major step. I prefer to keep timeframes short. 4-8 weeks works well for me and definitely no longer than 90 days. After that time I can find myself looking around for something a bit brighter and shinier to focus on!
4. Once I’ve set the time frame, I make sure I’m really clear about what the outcome will be and how that is going to help me decide whether an idea gets the go ahead or not.
5. With a time frame and outcome locked in I develop an action plan to achieve this outcome. The approach I use is to decide what would need to be done to achieve the outcome by the halfway mark, and then the quarter way mark, then the eighth way mark etc. and then apply this approach to the second half of the project period as well. The result I’m after is a detailed outline of weekly actions that I need to do to ensure I achieve my outcome. Writing this plan keeps me accountable to myself and ensures that I give each idea enough effort and airtime to see if it has wings.
6. The next step is obvious. Work through my action plan. This will lead me to my desired outcome which, as I’ve already determined, will enable me to make an informed decision about whether to progress the idea further at this time.
7. If I decide to keep going with the idea then I have a good basis on which to move to the next level. If I decide not to pursue the idea any further then I have a great record of the idea and my current thinking which I can revisit at a later time if circumstances, markets, opportunities etc. change.

I’ve found following these steps incredibly useful. You may find them useful too. Whatever the case I hope it helps you start thinking about what you can do with those ideas that keep formulating in your head.

The value of an idea lies in the using of it.            Thomas Edison