I’ve had quite a few people reach out seeking advice about starting a business. One of my usual recommendations is to read Making Ideas Happen. During the conceptual phase of the business, it was the book that I kept around when I would get stuck on a piece of the puzzle, and often times provided me with the solution to keep moving. The main points below are concepts and thoughts from his book and a talk that he gave last year at Ideation.
So you have a new idea and want to execute. Excitement and energy is high, you’re able to stay up till 3am writing out the first chapter of the book, writing the first draft of your business plan or designing the layout for your website. Shortly after, energy and momentum slows. Phone calls, texts, wall posts, meetings, your 9-5, all the responsibilities (most) adults take care of start to get in the way. It’s an uncomfortable, and depressing place to be. How do you finish your brilliant side-projects while fighting against these outside forces?
How do serial idea makers defy the odds again and again?
Ideas don’t just happen because they’re great but they might happen because of the following characteristics that are held within highly productive idea-generators that bring their ideas to fruition.
The greatest serial idea-makers possess all or most of the following characteristics:
1. Create a window of non-stimulation. It must be a ritualistic practice, carve out the time, every day. I recommend really early mornings, especially if you’re working a 9-5. If I have a lot on my plate, I can get a good chunk of work done then because I don’t have any distractions – no phone calls or emails coming in, no roommates ranting about their day, no one tempting me to hit up a Taco Tuesday happy hour. We live in a world where we are constantly reacting to the information and assignments that come our way. Carving out a time of non-reactionary workflow will increase your chances at making serious progress.
2. Organize with a bias towards action. Define action steps by asking yourself: “What can I do right now to move this project forward?” Then write it down (beginning the phrase or sentence with a verb) and take action.
3. Seek work at the intersection. Your intersection meets between 1.) Your genuine interests, 2.) The skills you possess and 3.) The opportunity stream you face. When you find the intersection of these three things, this is where the greatest things happen. Work within your intersection. Not only should you work within your intersection, you should push people to work in theirs.
4. Be about mission, not medium. Who or what is it for? What are you trying to achieve? Will it make your life, or the lives of others better?
5. Share ideas liberally. Since most ideas don’t get made, just put it out there. Engage. Agree or disagree.
Scared someone will steal your idea? If the idea is so easily stolen, it doesn’t matter because chances are it wasn’t special enough.
6. Share ownership of ideas. We make more progress on the projects that we own as a team. The more ownership, the more collaboration, the better the outcome.
7. Seek competition. Tune into competition as a catalyst for action. Pace yourself with others.
8. Fight apathy. The fight is essential to give the best solution for the user. Questioning why someone designed something the way they did? Ask, talk about it, find the best solution. i.e. – Playing devil’s advocate at a wall meeting. Do it! It very well could help the overall quality of an assignment.
9. Get organized. Spending a serious chunk of energy on how you stay organized might be time well spent. A poll was taken and almost 20% of the creative professionals that were asked expressed they “live a life of utter chaos” Don’t be that guy (or gal)
Thanks for reading,
Matt
