What to do with new ideas?

[Windsurfer]

I am reading James Altucher's book 'Choose Yourself' and just finished MJ's book this weekend. In both books they talk about coming up with ideas that will serve a need or help people. James recommends coming up with 10 ideas a day on a variety of topics.

Here is my problem. Practically every day it seems like I come up with an idea that seems great. Then when I think about it some more, I start to poke holes in it and think 'that will never work' for some reason or another.

I have written posts on this forum and PM'd people thinking I have some great idea and asked for ways to implement it. They would give me ideas on how to move forward or explain why it will be a large challenge technically.

It feels like I have ADD. Brainstorming ideas and wasting people's time with all these different directions. How do you settle in and figure out the thing to go after without wasting a lot of other people's time - or having them think you are not committed to anything? It seems like there are SO many ideas, and my issue is how to decide on one.

How do you decide which idea has the best shot of coming to fruition?

 

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[Vick]

I don't think anyone ever really knows if there idea is gonna make it.

you just have to jump in with something and get your feet wet.

chances are you won't be successful with your first idea. its very rare.

but what you learn is just as valuable.


this quote comes to mind.

"What people do quite naturally is, if it's work, they try to figure out how to do less. If it's art, they try to figure out how to do more".

- Seth Godin


choose something you will want to work on, all the time, all day all night. it has to be an obsession. otherwise you'll give up OR not work as hard as you should be.

if the idea is pretty decent, then your chances are good.

 

[Milkanic]

I keep an Evernote notebook full of ideas and update it when ideas come to me. I have roughly 40 ideas in it, am tackling one right now, and will swing back and do the next one when this one is "done".

 

[AllenCrawley]

Keep a notebook of ideas, whether digital or on paper. I have a notebook with probably 200 ideas in it.

Run each idea thru some filters.

The first set of filters should be CENTS. Need being the most important. This will require a bit of research and maybe even some testing.

If the idea passes at least 4 out of 5 of the CENTS commandments I have my own set of additional filters to run it through.

Here are a couple you could use...

Does it have the potential to generate $5 Million in revenue in the first 5 years or be sold for at least $5 Million around the 5 year mark? (these numbers are for example, this is a dollar amount and time frame you can decide on)

Are you willing to pour blood, sweet and tears and other resources into this particular idea>project>business? Are you willing to do what ever it may take to make this idea successful?

There may be some additional filters you could think of.

Then the ideas that survive you can prioritize by let's say passion, time frame, etc.

The challenge will be that once you've decided on which idea to execute on to not be distracted by the new ideas you'll get. Just write them down and stay focused on the one (at least until it is successful or has reached a level of passivity).

 

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[tamo42]

Part of James' point about writing 10 ideas a day is that you need to practice coming up with ideas so that you will eventually come up with good ideas. So if your first 40 don't work, that's normal. IIRC, James also says to create action steps with your ideas. That might help you think through to some of these technical challenges that you end up facing.

 

[Get Right]

I am reading James Altucher's book 'Choose Yourself' and just finished MJ's book this weekend. In both books they talk about coming up with ideas that will serve a need or help people. James recommends coming up with 10 ideas a day on a variety of topics.

Here is my problem. Practically every day it seems like I come up with an idea that seems great. Then when I think about it some more, I start to poke holes in it and think 'that will never work' for some reason or another.

I have written posts on this forum and PM'd people thinking I have some great idea and asked for ways to implement it. They would give me ideas on how to move forward or explain why it will be a large challenge technically.

It feels like I have ADD. Brainstorming ideas and wasting people's time with all these different directions. How do you settle in and figure out the thing to go after without wasting a lot of other people's time - or having them think you are not committed to anything? It seems like there are SO many ideas, and my issue is how to decide on one.

How do you decide which idea has the best shot of coming to fruition?

Have any of your different ideas overlapped? Sometimes pulling 2 or 3 together into one creates momentum. Passionate about any of them? Any existing business model you could just "tweak" to include your idea?

Feel free to bounce as many ideas as you want off me, but try to get advice from the guys that have made it...I'm still in route

 

[yahdmon]

I have just put a whiteboard in my office to keep track of the many ideas coming to me this month... it is as though someone has opened the floodgates, because everyplace I look I am seeing something which needs improving.
Do what I do.
Acknowledge that you cannot do them all.. then look for worthy persons who are of same mind as you and after qualifying them, pass one on and the rest you just continue to hold close to your breast until such time as you can do something.

 

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