Possibilities

You're in good company. It's a common pattern among highly creative and intelligent people. I call it "leap frogging," and it's what happens when people prefer having ideas to carrying them to completion.

There are many reasons we leap frog. One is that it's more fun to think and play with new "toys" than it is to work with old ones. Another is that any project has its own rhythm, which includes lulls, slumps, and brick walls. It's easier to start a new project that hasn't hit a wall, lull or slump than it is to work through the wall, lull or slump of the current project. And a third, which is more common than a lot of us think, is a fear that we'll never have time to get all the stuff done in our lifetimes, or even more significantly, that we'll forget this great new idea and all it's nuances by the time we've finished the current project. After all, it does happen - all the time.

There are many time management approaches to deal with the first two reasons, but few address the third issue: what if I forget? After all, when we first come up with an idea, we are in love with it. We don't want it to fall by the wayside. (Even though we may not feel that way about six weeks into it, when something new and more interesting comes along.) So we allow ourselves to get distracted and jump into that shiny, new project.

Here's a solution. Set up a Possibilities list. Arrange four files, or sections in a three-ring notebook, or whatever system works for you. Label these, "This Year, Next Year, Some Year, and Maybe." (If this phrase rings a bell, it's adapted from an old jump rope rhyme.) Then when you get your next great idea, scribble no more than one page about that new idea, and then file it, according to when you WANT to get to it, instead of jumping on it right away.

Once every month or two, take half an hour, sit down with a cup of tea or coffee – maybe a piece of chocolate - and go through your Possibilities. Make it a fun, pleasant activity. Add to them, move them around, combine them, toss them. You don't have to act on anything. Just appreciate your fertile mind and enjoy your ideas.

A couple of things result from this approach. First, you no longer need to worry that your idea for the world's most useful kitchen gadget or the Great American Novel is going to evaporate. Next, by going over your Possibilities regularly, you develop appreciation and respect for your creativity. It takes away the fear of creative block; if you can't think of something, go to your Possibilities file. Even if none of those ideas work, they will likely stimulate something else. Your great ideas will benefit, too, from a period of incubation and occasional re-working. (You will probably discover that some of those great ideas would benefit from a visit to the recycle bin. But better to discover that before you start, rather than later.)

So don’t let those great ideas distract you from the ones you’re working on, but don’t let them go to waste, either. Use your Possibilities File to keep them available until the time is right.

NOTE: You are welcome to use this article online in electronic newsletters and e-zines as long as it remains complete and unaltered (including the "about the author" info). If use of this article is desired in print, you must first contact Lynn Cutts at Lynn@ManageYourMuse.com.

Copyright 2005 Lynn Cutts