I am proud of myself. I created an Editorial Calendar (yes, it deserves capitalization) and I filled it out, too! I was going to talk about that Calendar, the glory of it, and tips for doing your own.
That's going to have to wait. Why? Because other ideas sparked today. And one of those ideas was to write about what to do when other ideas completely ignore your plans.
I have way more than a handful of projects currently in motion. The last thing I need is one more.
Whatever your career, calling, hobby, or passion, there comes a time when you have to stop listing tasks and start getting the tasks done. That is the moment ideas are waiting for. They're lurking in the shadows, watching for your guard to fall.
When they close in, seeking to drag your attention from your appointed goal, you have choices. You can:
- Dismiss them. Sometimes, ideas are nothing but your brain trying to get out of doing what you want it to do. Give them a chance, but be ready to dismiss anything that doesn't work.
- Make a quick note of them, with enough detail for future you to understand what the heck past you was trying to say.
- Pause your current plans and make detailed notes. Add the idea or project to your list of things that need to be done. This last bit matters the most to me. I'm great at making the notes - terrible at following through.
- Stop everything and dive into the pool of fresh energy. There's danger here. If you choose this path, mark where you stepped away from your current task.
- Drop everything and get more caffeine. Or take a nap. I'm fond of naps.
I was chatting with a friend today about one of the ideas that sparked this post. It's a good idea and we're going to run with it. (Nope, not writing about it until it's ready. You gotta wait!) In the course of discussing next steps in the new project, I dropped a fabulous typo. Going for "brainstorming" I instead wrote "brainstorking".
And there you have it. When the brainstork flies past, you have a decision to make: do you wrap that idea up and see it through? Or do you toss it out with the bathwater?
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