I can’t seem to help it but my brain entertains a completely brand new idea about two or three times a day. The problem is that most of them seem to be very doable and I believe that they could be very fun, profitable, and valuable for others.
Every single justification that my mind conjures up to give it any amount of steam is thrown at the new ideas until it seems completely foolish to not attempt or start the new idea and give it wings.
In the past I would actually execute on a few of these things a week and just see how they went. Over the years this has proven to be incredibly helpful and an incredible opportunity to learn a lot about a number of things, including business, product development, software, relationships, and more.
But it’s a pace that’s simply not sustainable and it appears that that particular season is over. I’ll miss it dearly but it’s time for me to plant my feet firmly in a few areas instead of spreading myself so thin, at the cost of my friends, family, and even my long-term hopes and dreams.
The problem is that I’m not entirely sure where my feet need for this next season. There are definitely a number of responsibilities that I have and will continue to work on them in earnest but there is a constant battle between my mind and my heart about the direction my feet want to travel. Planting them is a tough concept for me!
Ever struggle with something like this? Do you have the constant temptation to start new things? How do you deal with it or manage the temptation?
My gut says that it’ll never completely go away and I believe that to be a good thing but it needs a bit of re-configuration, if that makes sense. A little more hesitation perhaps.
Ummm… yeah, about that… totally feel you man. And I’m at about the same spot: needing to plant my feet, but trying to find where. Patience is a beautiful thing.
Yes. 20 ideas a week. Hesitation is good. Otherwise I would have already opened a frozen banana stand.
You’re not alone. It’s something most entrepreneurs struggle with I believe. And I’m convinced it never really goes away. Currently, I have to fight the temptation to tackle something new just because I know I’ll never get traction with so many little things. But, unfortunately, I don’t have an answer for controlling the beast. Let me know if you find one though!
I am with you on this one. I had date night with the wife last night and I want to be more creative in life, but full time. I want to start those new things, I want to be those new things.
With a family, the process needs to be slower though.
I do the same thing! I often say I wish I could just turn my brain off and shut down until I get one project finished. Keep us posted…I think I’d go mad if I didn’t at least look into the options…I wish you the best with it!
Oh, I feel your pain! I have taken to working with a notebook beside me all the time (at least, all the times that I remember). One of the sections in that notebook is “book ideas” for when I get inspiration to write the next great novel. Another section is “habits” for the productivity habits that might be good to put into practice. And of course, there’s the “random” section to provide a home for all those thoughts that want to take me away from the thing I’m supposed to be doing right now. Speaking of which, I should get back to that thing…
Make yourself take a 21 day hold period for all new ideas. Write it down, spend no more than 30 minutes on it and wait 21 days before doing anything else. Re-evaluate to see if it fits in your bigger life goals.
Great idea!
Yes John, you are certainly not alone. I struggle with this every day and its so hard to confine myself to so few projects, but necessary to ever get anything accomplished! Please pass along any tidbits of wisdom you find in your journey to be helpful……I wait with baited breath!
My problem is that I usually have no idea even how to get an idea off the ground. I agree with Matthew Snider. With a family it is a lot harder to take risks.
I think you need to write down the ideas, and like Brandi said, think about them before acting! If it’s that good of an idea, it will still be good later!
Plant your feet firmly in the short term so that you will be wealthy and wise enough to create & navigate the many paths your feet will long to travel in the future.
I can envision you after writing this– standing up, dropping the mouse, and walking away.
Boom.
Hey John! I feel you bro. Almost every day I come up with a new idea and the first thing I do is jump onto Domainr or Bustaname to see if I can get a decent .com for my idea. Then I have to remember that I just don’t have time right now for all these ideas and I end up saving them somewhere for later.
At least weekly I come up with a new blog idea I would like to follow through with and explore and see if I can turn it into a blog with traffic and some revenue. Most times however I fall over after about 3 months because I have lost interest in the subject, lost the motivation to continue writing, or just been discouraged.
I am now learning to control myself, and see if the domain is available, but then walking away for 2-3 weeks, and then re-evaluating whether it is something I want to try pursuing. 9 out of 10 times I have lost that initial spark after 2 weeks.
John, I’ve been struggling, no battling tooth & nail with this. And not to sound evil, but I’m delighted to know I’m not alone on this “idea planet”. Right now I have about 10 Twitter accounts, 2 Facebook accounts, about a dozen blogs, an online radio station and my main business website, blog and twitter account. I have tried to give most up or kill them off all-together, but they’re like my children. I’m hoping some will grow up and move out of state.
Seriously, this has me doing much about nothing for large chunks of the day. I’m considering taking a few days in the mountains with the goals of disappearing 80% of these little deterrents. It ain’t easy being entrepreneurial.
At least you’re just working with ideas. Think of us poor crafters cluttering up our studios with supplies for the next great inspiration. At some point (which I hope I haven’t reached yet) the clutter overwhelms the process.
Goodness, I feel like I wrote this in my sleep. This is TOTALLY me. To the point that people around me are despairing all the time.
I constantly have awesome ideas that would turn me into a millionaire… Just need a cloning machine first.
Good luck with the foot planting and if you find the magic solution please do share.
I can completely relate to this. I don’t have a good solution, but I try to look for synergies between ideas so that by working on a few key things I can make progress on multiple ideas at once.
I’d say that the fact that you’re struggling with this shows a healthy tension in your work. At least that’s what I feel: I dabble quite often in “new” ideas…and I love it there. But only a few ideas actually make it to market.
This is my life! I have a new idea or two every day. I’m getting better at turning them idea off, but I still struggle with just focusing on one idea or business avenue. I currently have my hands in a half a dozen different money making ideas. In which all them are making money, just not enough to make a difference in my life.
I really wish I could just focus on one thing!!!!