Do you experience having too many great ideas and not enough time to implement all of them? Whether it’s writing blogs or working on new home projects, it can be frustrating when you want to work on all your ideas, but cannot fit them all into your schedule.
This is what happens to me with writing and websites. I have ten website domains (all through Wealthy Affiliate) – two of which I write content for. The other two are my Real Estate Photography sites. Unless I don’t sleep, there is no way I can successfully write content for six other sites.
This is where you need to manage your state of mind better to keep from feeling guilty for not being able to act on every idea you have.
In my quest , I found a few techniques and strategies that have been helpful for me that I want to share. One of these strategies , (I’m borrowing from an internet search) is to treat your ideas like a rose bush.
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Ideas are Like Rose Buds
When a rose bush grows it creates more buds than it can preserve. An experienced gardener will tell you that rose bushes need to be pruned to bring out the best in both their appearance and their performance.
Rose bushes can’t grow wider and taller each year like a tree. If you don’t trim some of the buds, then the bush will eventually exhaust itself and die. There are only so many resources to go around. For a rose bush to really flourish, it needs to be trimmed down more than once each year.
Trimming the Rose Bush is Necessary
Just like rose bushes: ideas need to be consistently pruned and trimmed down. By pruning away ideas — even if they have potential — allows the remaining ideas to fully blossom. Even as I write this, I realize that deciding which ideas to cut can be challenging in itself. Take time to truly reflect on what will give you the most returns or you can even ask a friend so you can get an objective opinion.
Similar to the rose bush, we face constraints in our lives. We have a limited amount of energy and resources to apply each day. It’s natural for new ideas and projects to come into our life — just like it’s natural for a rose bush to add new buds — but we have to clip and snip things away before we get completely wiped out.
Let the Ideas Sit a While
A strategy to help you decide which idea to run with is to initially back off- and leave the ideas alone. And then wait to see how often one or more of the ideas spring up in your mind. If you keep thinking of one or two ideas more than the others, then that’s a positive sign those are the ones you should be working on.
Prioritize & Schedule
Along with the ideas comes the energy and willpower that is also necessary to carry out these ideas. Once you pare down your ideas, decide which ones you are going to work on and in which order.
Start with writing them down- and then prioritize so you can realistically start working on them. Once you prioritize, schedule and block out time every week to start working on them. My recommendation is to not have more than 3 major projects going at once- ie. 3 businesses, 3 pieces of furniture to refinish, or 3 new recipes to learn, etc.
>>>Read this article if you struggle with decision making>>>
Finish What You Started
This is a technique that has really made a difference for me. Years ago, I realized that I was really good at starting projects, etc.,but bad at completing them. I would create a Business LLC, make business cards, build a site- and then completely abandon for a new business idea. I have fun coming up with ideas so I had a very difficult time seeing any of them through.
Not good! So – you are not alone if you have found yourself in the same situation. In addition to being addicted to new ideas, I would also start something new because I wasn’t seeing success soon enough. The thing is- you have to give your business/project, etc. time to grow. Starting something new is not the solution.
So now- I’ ve learned my lesson. One of my sites has 100 articles finally and for this site- my goal is 50 articles in 50 days. And I am on track to do just that!
Summary- Too Many Ideas and Not Enough Time
If you’re the creative type, you will always have more ideas than you can possibly work on. Remind yourself that the best you can do is to work on ONE task or project at a time. You can have several on your plate if you manage your time well, but you can still only work on one at a time.
So, when you feel like you have too many ideas and not enough time to implement, think about these techniques I shared with you. They should help you get a better handle on the many brilliant ideas you have! With the right mindset and habits, you can pave the way to be the most productive you’ve ever been.
Do you experience having too many ideas and then not knowing how to manage them? What are some other challenges with having too many ideas and not enough time? Would love to hear your thoughts!