Have you ever felt just absolutely stuck because you have so many ideas, and you don’t know which one to move forward with first? I get this question a lot. Maybe there is something new you want to try or business you want to start – and you have a ton of ideas, but don’t know which one to pursue first. Often, it’s perfectionism that gets us stuck. But perfectionism is rooted in fear – fear that somehow you will forget your best ideas, or that if you don’t do everything now, you’ll never do anything at all. If that’s you right now, take these simple steps to get unstuck from analysis paralysis and finally move forward:
1. Write down ALL of your ideas.
Write them down – every single one. Put them somewhere safe so you can always go back and reference.
2. Schedule a date to revisit your great ideas.
Open up your calendar and schedule a date – or multiple dates – when you will revisit your these ideas. This will relieve you of the anxiety that you’ll forget the ideas you don’t purse right away. It frees your mind to focus on the one thing.
3. Ask yourself: Which idea will make the rest of my ideas easier to achieve?
Starting with the idea that basically lays the groundwork for the others is strategic and smart. For example, when I began my career nearly twenty years ago, the very first idea I pursued was writing a book. Little did I know at the time, that one choice – while probably the most intense and time consuming of all of the ideas I had at the time – opened the doors to the other opportunities I wanted to pursue, such as public speaking and television. It made those easier to pursue – and often, I didn’t pursue them at all. They flowed naturally in my direction as a result of my writing.
4. Ask yourself: Of all of the ideas that I have, which one resonates with me most and feels like I can do it now?
These two questions help you determine what will be most purposeful and most actionable. Narrowing your focus is powerful. Research shows that we are most successful when we are focused. Even though it feels like you want to do multiple things at once, it is more powerful to harness your energy into a singular focus. So pick one, and trust that if it is the wrong one, it will become obvious soon enough.
4. Get to work!
Now that you have a single idea upon which to focus, it’s time to get started. With your other ideas captured and scheduled for a revisit, laser focus on bringing that one idea to life.
