idea graveyard

The Greatest Threat To Your Ideas: Inaction

Have you ever had one of those ideas that really has great potential, but you just haven’t started it yet? Maybe it’s a big idea, and you just haven’t found the time to work on it. News flash– your idea is going to die!

idea graveyard

Image via Adriaan Fenwick on Flickr

Too many great ideas have been killed by inaction. I don’t know about you, but this rings all too true for me:  I have a great idea, and because of either bad timing or circumstances, I don’t act on it. I tell myself I’ll get to it later, but when later comes, it’s too late. The idea is gone.

Fear not! There is hope– this enemy called inaction can be defeated!

Think of it like this

Imagine ideas like they are in cartoons. When you have an idea a little light bulb appears over your head. But unlike in cartoons, as soon as you move on from the idea, without action, the light bulb begins to fall. Unless you catch the idea, and do something with it, gravity will do what it does best and bring it crashing to the ground.

shattered idea

Image via Kyle May on Flickr

Don’t let inaction kill your ideas

As creative people, if we are always keeping our creative tank full with plenty of incoming sources of inspiration, we should always be churning out ideas. And to make sure that these ideas don’t die an untimely death, we must take action.

First things first – Record the idea

idea post-it noteThe first thing you should do is write it down, type it out, record it, or by any other means save it somewhere besides your brain.

Personally, I use Evernote to capture my ideas. It allows me to record them on my phone or laptop anywhere. Then it saves the note with a geotagged location where I can add audio, video, or photos to help me remember exactly what was going on when I had the idea.

Find a way of recording your ideas that works for you. Some methods could be:

  • Notebook
  • Sticky note
  • Note app
  • Your arm
  • Leave yourself a voice-mail
  • Do a cave painting

Do whatever you find that works for you to record your ideas. This way, even if you can’t begin to act on the idea itself, you’ll be able to return to it later.

Next, do something

You’ll want to develop a habit of revisiting your ideas frequently. Even if you’ve recorded them, if nothing is done with them from there, they will eventually become irrelevant and stale. So once you have a minute to revisit the idea put some action to it.

If it’s an idea for a blog post, start on a draft. You don’t have to finish it. Just get it moving in the right direction. Don’t let your desire for perfection stop you from moving forward. It doesn’t have to be perfect.

If it’s a graphic, drawing, or painting– get something sketched out. Get some rough drafts on paper (or on screen) and see where it goes. Again, it doesn’t need to be a masterpiece right away. Just do something.

Git-r-done

Random fact: Larry the Cable Guy (who made the saying above famous) actually shares my birthday– February 17th. Another guy who shares this same birthday– Michael Jordan. Can you say, “Chyeayuh!“?

Okay, back to the point.

Finish what you’ve started, even if it’s not completed.

Wait, what? Are you speaking some sort of pseudo-riddle nonsense?

Yes, I am. But hear me out before you write me off as a looney!

Sometimes I have the tendency to take way too long to complete a project (like this blog post for example ;) ). Its the plague of perfection again, and it can totally undermine the raw and organic nature of creativity.

Don’t be afraid to put something out there that is unfinished. You can always go back and refine, revamp, and tweak. Don’t let delayed execution become another way for inaction to creep in.

Action is the key. Inaction is the enemy.

Recommended reading

There is a great book that I highly recommend called “Making Ideas Happen“  [affiliate link] by Scott Belsky. The title really does say it all. If you find yourself struggling with taking ideas and turning them into reality, this book is a must have!

Have your ideas ever fallen victim to inaction? How do you fight it off? You can leave a comment by clicking here.

Photo credits: Adriaan Fenwick and Kyle May via Flickr.

107
Dustin W. Stout —  December 8, 2011
In Creativity
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Dustin W. Stout

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Crafting and cultivating creative ideas into visual and verbal brilliance. That's what I do. I'm a bit of a social media junkie and a serial entrepreneur . You can usually find me over on Google+, so be sure to circle me there.

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107 responses to The Greatest Threat To Your Ideas: Inaction

  1. David Willard Jr December 8, 2011 at 11:38 PM

    Awesome post! I have lost more than my share of creative work to inactivity. I also have work sitting idle in files growing stale because I don’t have good habits in place to revisit things that need to be completed. Perhaps this post is what I needed to kick start the creative flow :-)

    Reply
  2. Valerie Deveza December 9, 2011 at 2:38 AM

    I’m a big fun of sticky notes. You’ll find tons of it on my table and desktop! LOL! It’s my way to capture my ideas and get things done.

    Reply
  3. Brandon December 9, 2011 at 9:54 AM

    By the way, I think that it is cool that you have the same b day as Larry and Michael Jordan!

    I’m not sure who shares my birthday…haha

    Reply
  4. Brandon December 9, 2011 at 9:55 AM

    Also, for some goals, I am working on getting a custom domain for January 2012!

    The company 1and1 has some great deals right now!

    Reply
  5. Joe Lalonde December 9, 2011 at 12:25 PM

    Dang, it looks like we almost share a birthday. I was born on the 16th.

    And yes, I admit, my ideas fall to inaction… More so than I like to admit. To stop this, I have started taking notes, mindmapping, and trying to take audio notes(it hasn’t worked well so far).

    The note taking has really helped while reading books. I carry around a 3X5 card as a bookmark and scribble insights or quotes from the book. It is easily available and I no longer have to search for paper.

    Reply
  6. Brandon December 10, 2011 at 4:09 PM

    By the way, I jumpstarted getting a custom domain…

    http://www.bigb94.info

    I am starting out with this one to test things…

    Reply
  7. skottydog December 11, 2011 at 7:13 AM

    Great suggestions here. Too many times Ive said to myself I have to write about that, only to have forgotten what the idea was hours or days later.

    I have started jotting notes down, on paper, via Evernote, and also with Notability.
    Now, the only problem is sifting through my notes to remind myself of things.

    Paper still remains the most reliable form of note-taking for me…

    …as long I remember to take them out of my pockets before they go in the wash!

    Reply
  8. Loren Pinilis December 12, 2011 at 11:22 AM

    I like the idea of a fading lightbulb. I know all too often I’ve thought that I would remember an especially creative idea. Then later I couldn’t think of it for the life of me. I’ve had to learn to capture those ideas even if I think I will absolutely remember – because there’s a good chance I won’t!

    Reply
  9. David Willard Jr December 12, 2011 at 5:45 PM

    I may look into Evernote but I find when I need to make a quick note, for example the band plays a new song at church, I will send myself a text. That way I have the info right there with me but it’s easily deleteable as soon as I download the song. If something longer hits me and I want to remind myself of a blog or something I will email it to myself because then it will be on my device and it will be on waiting on my compuuter at home when I get there and I can easily copy and paste in into a blog or a notepad for later use.

    Reply
  10. Louis Tullo December 14, 2011 at 11:51 AM

    Thanks so much for sharing such practical ways for getting dreams off the ground. I know so many people who need to be reminded of this – their dreams have value and just require a little effort to make them a reality. I know lately when I think about the gifts and talents God has given me to make dreams realities I sit in awe and am filled with gratitude … then I get up and continue to use those gifts for His glory. :)

    Reply
  11. Dan Black January 6, 2012 at 8:40 PM

    I think fear of failure causes many people not to act on their idea. But taking steps toward it are so essential when it comes to accomplishing great things. Great blog.

    Reply
  12. Brandon December 13, 2011 at 9:41 AM

    Gotcha!

    Reply
  13. Brandon December 13, 2011 at 9:46 AM

    Hahaha

    Reply
  14. DustinWStout December 17, 2011 at 1:43 PM

    +1!

    Reply

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