Stop and think about the last time you were struck with a great idea. What did you do about it and where is that idea today? It’s all too easy for creative ideas to get lost in the shuffle of life, but it doesn’t have to be that way. In fact, writers who jot down and share their ideas are 33% more likely to make headway on those ideas, so what are you waiting for?
Formulating an idea is one thing, but growing an idea is another. With a whole lot of nurturing, creative ideas have the possibility to turn into major successes, like high-authority blogs, popular web shows, novels, and more. Why take the chance of letting anything fall through the cracks? To make sure every idea gets its proper attention, create a brainstorming plan complete with these useful tips and tools that you can use right now!
Pen and Paper
Have Pen and Paper Handy when Inspiration Strikes!
It’s true. The classic pen and paper method is still one of the most trusted methods for keeping ideas fresh. Writing ideas down on paper has specific benefits that typing doesn’t have. According to experts Anne Mangen and Jean-Luc Velay, handwriting is performed at a slower pace and writers have to physically draw out each character; this enables writers to not only retain information better but understand it better as well.
Organization is key with this method. To make sure you don’t lose any of your ideas, get a journal or notebook that you know you will use often. You don’t need more stationery taking up space, so try using a heavy duty notebook or a substantial binder complete with dividers, paper, and pockets for supplies. That’s right, just like going back to school!
Try Note-Taking Apps
Note-Taking Apps to the Rescue!
So, what if inspiration strikes but you forgot your notebook? In a world full of smartphones, pens and paper aren’t always there when you’re in a creative jam. Fortunately, there are many note-taking apps that you can install on your smartphone to jot down ideas. Even better, is that these apps allow you to separate your notes into different folders and even share online with friends, making them great for inputting and organizing your written notes as well.
Share Your Ideas
Sharing ideas with friends and family not only helps you remember your ideas, but you can gain valuable insight on how to grow them even more. Just like reading a finished blog post out loud, verbally expressing your ideas gives you an opportunity to think more critically about them so you can improve.
In fact, a study from Dominican University showed that when a group of participants were asked to write down their goals and share them with at least one friend, 75% of them ended up achieving the goals they had written down and shared. This was in contrast to the 43% goal achievement rate from another group of participants who were asked to just think about their ideas but not write them down nor share them.
Turn Ideas Into Manageable Goals
A single idea has the potential to grow bigger and bigger. This is great, but when there are too many components to deal with, creative ideas can be hard to manage. This can lead to great ideas being put on the back burner. To avoid that, break down your ideas into manageable goals that you can achieve.
An age-old way for visualizing goals is the classic bubble chart or graph. Mapping your ideas out visually can give you a better understanding of their magnitude and what you need to do to get the result you want.
Stay on Task with a Bubble Chart.
Simply start by making your idea the center or top of your chart. Then, think about the tasks you would need to do to make your idea possible. For example, if you’re writing an eBook on Irish folklore, you’ll probably want to collect research on the topic, write a rough and final draft, decide on an eBook cover, and look into eBook publishers. After mapping out your tasks on your chart, you should assign reasonable deadlines to complete them; this is a great way to feel on top of your ideas and not in over your head.
Keep Growing your Ideas
Moving forward, don’t let another one of your great ideas go to waste. Starting today, you can start growing the ideas that you already have by simply writing them down, sharing them with your friends, organizing them with your tools of choice, and breaking them down into reachable goals. To take your ideas to the next level, make sure to check out this free Content Marketing Academy to learn how to promote your great ideas to the world!
Elissa Capelle Vaughn is a freelance writer and MBA student with a creative background in art, toy retail, and internet marketing.