How to stay on track when your brain is an ideas machine
However fabulous your ideas may be (and I KNOW they’re game changing), there comes a point where you might have TOO many ideas. When you’re creating your own future, and working as your own boss, there are endless possibilities. Here’s the kicker: with endless possibilities comes endless ideas, which can equal a tuckered out brain that wants to accomplish them all, but ends up accomplishing none. Being exhausted as an entrepreneur might be inevitable, but there are tools that can take your endless ideas and channel them into productive projects. Here are my top productivity hacks for creatives to help you stay FOCUSED when your brain is whirring with (hella-cool) ideas.
1. Make A List & Check It Twice (or three or four times…)
There is not much I enjoy more in life than scribbling out a list into a notebook. When all of the ideas swirling around my mind stressing me out are put onto paper, I finally have some much needed headspace to focus on current biz tasks.
Which is where we start, with the first of my productivity hacks for creatives. Grab a journal, and start brain dumping. Literally just write whatever ideas you have when inspiration strikes. Your ideas are for your eyes only, so don’t be critical and write down everything and anything (even the weird ideas…. Especially the weird ideas).
Once they’re down on paper (or in your agenda, Google Drive, or Evernote – whatever your vibes are) make sure you walk away from the list and come back later with a clear mind. This way, you will be able to sift through and find the BEST idea for your business path.
You will also be able to reference your idea list whenever you need a hint of inspiration, because let’s be honest, we all get in a business rut sometimes!
FIND OUT HOW TO GROW YOUR BUSINESS USING BEHIND-THE-SCENES CONTENT
2. Does This Idea Align With Your Mission?
Whatever your long-terms goals are, it’s important to take all of these ideas that you have running around your unicorn-brain and critically analyse if each one actually aligns with the goals or mission you have for your business.
Whether you want to book more clients, get more podcast listeners, or influence more change in the world, you need to assess if this idea will be making these goals a REALITY, or if they will just busy up your day and mess with your productivity.
Let me put it this way: you’re going to be investing time, money, and energy into bringing this idea to life, so make sure that the ides will support your larger scale goals, and create momentum in your biz.
So every time you get an idea, ask yourself: “does this idea align with my brand vision & goals for the future?”
If it does? DO IT BABY.
3. How To Turn A Million Ideas Into ONE Million Dollar Idea
Ok, so you’ve brain dumped your ideas, you’ve made sure they align with your long term goals and you’re SET on bringing this one to life. But there are so many options… should you host a webinar? A 10 day instagram challenge? Once again the possibilities are endless. So here’s how you take that ONE idea and make it happen.
The 10 Minute Project Plan:
Step 1: Get the idea on paper (this should be done already)
Step 2: Break down EVERYTHING that needs to happen to make that idea a fully-fledged (money-making) reality. Dont skip a single step here!
Step 3: Figure out how long each one of those small actions will take you to complete.
Step 4: Pop a deadline on it! (this part is mucho importante)
Step 5: Make it REAL and put all the deadlines in your calendar.
Step 6: When it comes up in your cal… DO IT!
It’s as simple as that! A very basic project plan is the secret weapon of all momentum-riding entrepreneurs. And a simple project plan it can be created in under 10 mins! So grab your notebook, hit a coffee shop and get planning.
INSPO ALERT: HOW ONE INSTAGRAMMER GOT THEIR FIRST PAID POST
If you want to stay on track when your brain is just pumping out golden nuggets of inspiration on the regular, the first step is to choose a direction.
Make sure you’re intentional with which magical idea you execute, and remember that each idea is just a small component of the bigger masterpiece, your business.
Use brain-dumping to give you some headspace, your personal or professional mission statement to guide you in the most fulfilling direction, and the 10 minute project plan to create an iron clad roadmap to where you want to go.
Hopefully these simple productivity hacks for creatives will help you get started. Take 20 minutes out of your day today and put these 3 steps into action – that ideas-machine of a brain you have will thank you for it!
Comment below and tell us what your next brain-child will be. We can’t wait to hear what kinda magic you’re makin’.
Ready to take your Instagram productivity up a notch? Download Plann now from the iOS and Android stores and get started.
Hello Alyssa!
Alyssa Coleman is a Productivity Strategist for creative entrepreneurs, and founder of The Productive Entrepreneur.
Learn more about Alyssa and access her free training here.
