I’ve always thought of myself as a creative person. Out-of-the-box ideas fascinate me. It is the process more than anything – how do you get from the idea to the end product? Every business started as a single idea from a single person who was driven to make things happen. The most simple things we take for granted wouldn’t be here if someone wasn’t passionate enough to develop their idea into the “next big thing.”
A few months ago I was given the book Making Ideas Happen: Overcoming the Obstacles Between Vision and Reality by Scott Belsky. Now, I am not one to read “self help” or “how to” books, but this one really caught my attention. It outlines the steps you need to take in order launch your off-the-wall idea and make it succeed. Five pages into the book I realized why so many people do not fully reach their potential as thought leaders and developers. One word, organization.
That is a word that scares me. Like many, I love organization. Or rather, I love the thought of organization. The methodical nature of it appeals to me. But I realize that I will never be Container Store organized. It’s not how I work. It’s not how I process anything and that’s fine. I am visual, therefore most of my work remains in piles on my desk. While this would give some a panic attack, I find comfort in knowing where everything is and seeing my sticky notes with reminders and projects from days past that remind me that they need to be completed. The key to remaining organized is to find that one system that works for you and develop it to coincide with every part of your life. This is step one for every idea, every project and every action in your life. Without organization you may become successful initially, but most the likely path will wander your great idea will not reach its true potential.
My advice, take a step back and figure out something that works for your life. You don’t have to have a color coded grocery list, a clean desk or even matching socks, it’s all about what works for you. Put clips on your wall, write your plan on coffee shop napkins have a book to compile thoughts on the run, be creative with it. Take a minute and make a plan for yourself and you will be amazed at what you can accomplish.
