Making Ideas Happen III

The easiest and most seductive escape from a project plateau is the most dangerous one: a new idea. New ideas offer a quick return to the high energy and commitment zone…

Although it is part of the creative’s essence to constantly generate new ideas, our addiction to new ideas is also what often cuts our journeys short.

This is really true- when Locra hit a wall, all I could think of were pursuing the many other ideas that were on my mind, and as time passed my interest in Locra waned and things did not move as quickly thereafter. That, I believe, was why Locra never truly got off the ground, even though we had the talent, resources and a solid idea.

Scott Belsky argues that we need to find ways to sustain focus, and find ways to renew our energies to break through the “project plateau”. He argues for “acting without conviction”- opposed to the traditional wisdom of thinking before acting. This is not recklessness but rather a controlled decision to avoid the dangers of waiting, which builds apathy and increases the likelihood that another idea will capture our fancy.

This principle is echoed in TED talk by Tom Werner, who found that 5 year olds regularly outperformed MBAs at building spaghetti towers because they just started building right away. It is also echoed in IDEO’s (the design company) mantra of rapid prototyping, where debate and consensus is passed up in favor of rapid prototyping- a process in which “fledging ideas are road tested early on, exposing dead ends and leading to prototypes that point the way forward”.

I am prone to plan too much. Very often I have found myself spending more time on GANTT charts and achieve consensus, than actual work. The key for me is to balance my natural inclination to plan, and check myself to always remain action-oriented.