When I was very little, I participated in a secret gift exchange where I used the alias “Lots of Ideas”. I continue to periodically have these grand visions, and these days they’re usually oriented toward improving one of my communities, or to making myself loads of passive income. I announced here a while ago that I would be conducting a survey of colleges that are good for contradancing, but after that initial statement I have done little work on the topic. The other night, I was awake until 6am, excitedly brainstorming about a new project: a web app that would make it extremely easy for people to let their congressmen know what they thought in a form that would be more effective and accessible than anything currently available. I think it’s a cool idea, but again, I’m worried about it losing steam and stuttering to a halt. I’m worried these good ideas will gather dust as I pursue other things. I don’t intend for them to, and am hopeful that these two won’t, but it’s a persistent worry.
How do you ensure that your great ideas don’t falter and fall? How do you make the time and energy to keep them alive around the commitments of your already-busy life?
That’s a tough one. Write them down? Usually I only have one main idea I work on at a time, and that is my passion so my mind remains on that one idea all the time, no matter what else I’m doing. Right now it is toxic chemicals and getting new regulation and getting the Swedish documentary Submission to an American audience.
Lists. They focus me and make me think about priorities and total possible time commitments. For me the major downside ends up being prioritizing short-term deadlines over longer projects.