I can’t tell you the number of days I set out to write a dot without knowing what I was going to write about. Once I open up the template and consider my day, a topic often occurs to me. I could ruminate for hours and come up with nothing — the productivity occurs when I actually begin.
In a similar vein, I have a colleague who is interested in writing a book (aren’t we all!) and for months, he has been pondering what to write about. My assignment to him was to list out 25 possible things that he could write about and see what the list inspires. Does one of the topics really resonate? Could two of the topics be combined? What is on the list doesn’t matter — it’s that the list causes him to begin — to put words on paper (screen) instead of having nebulous thoughts rolling around in his mind.
I believe the principle applies to most projects — the hardest part is starting them. We can use writer’s block project manager’s block, painter’s block, what-to-make-for-dinner block, or any excuse you want to come up with — but really, the quest for the perfect idea is just procrastination in disguise. Instead of thinking about something hoping inspiration strikes, begin working on any aspect of it and see if you don’t discover that your idea was there all along.
