So you know what to do but where the heck do you start? Is your laundry list of things you know you were called to do getting longer and longer? Check out some quick tips on how to get your purpose in order. Learn how to Prioritize Your Purpose. 

8 WAYS TO OVERCOME TOO MANY IDEAS SYNDROME

(This article was written for writers but "writing" can be replaced with any goal. This is perfect for those who suffer from TMGI Syndrome, (Too many good ideas.)

1. THE RED DRESS THEORY. I’ve been teaching this theory to my comedy-writing students for years. It’s based on the premise that at any party, there will be more women wearing black dresses than red ones—the red ones stand out and get attention. When faced with an overwhelming number of ideas, I try to evaluate them to see which one seems most like a red dress in a sea of black. For me, bold, brash ideas are almost always the ones that inspire and motivate me.

2. IT’S THE STUPID IDEA, STUPID. Tim Bete enjoys pursuing what he calls his stupid ideas. “My new book, Guide to Pirate Parenting, was the stupidest 

idea I ever had for a book,” he says. “But as the idea evolved, it became one of the best ideas. It just needed time to age. Time lets things percolate. If you keep thinking about a stupid idea over a long period of time, it may get legs—or, in my case, peg legs.” He may have a point. My bestselling book to date is Bedtime Stories for Dogs. That’s right—stories for dogs. Talk about crazy.

3. THIS IDEA HAS LEGS. Another way I deal with TMIS is to take my dogs for a walk. Not only do I think better on the move, but once I get away from the jumble of paper piled on my desk, things become clearer. I always carry a tape recorder so I can record ideas as I move. When I get back, whatever ideas I’ve been excited enough to talk about are those I’ll pursue first. Hart tucks a pen into her ponytail when she goes running so she can write good ideas on her hand while bad ideas fall by the wayside.

4. THE ASSIGNMENT IS DUE. Even if you don’t have a deadline, make one up. Too much time often exacerbates confusion and indecisiveness, especially when you’re faced with too many ideas. I’ve taught five-minute writing exercises in my classes for years and found they produce highly creative writing. Bete has similar advice: “Reduce the amount of time you have to write because less time means less wasted time on unproductive ideas.”

5. MIND OVER MIND. Many of the writers I spoke with rely heavily on their own imagination to cure TMIS. Susan Reinhardt, author of Don’t Sleep with a Bubba, thinks of her writing life as a garden. “I try to decide which of my ideas should be yanked out before they even make it to the page,” she says. Award-winning screenwriter Cynthia Whitcomb, who has sold 70 screenplays and seen 29 come to the screen, puts on a chef’s hat instead. Her advice: “Think of your ideas like pots on the stove in the kitchen of your creative mind. Lift the lids and look inside. One of them is always closest to being soup. Write that one first.”

6. GIVE IN TO PASSION. Many authors, especially nonfiction writers, gravitate to ideas about which they have the most passion. Dr. Christiane Northrup, author of bestselling women’s health books including her latest, Mother-Daughter Wisdom, says, “I go with the idea that brings me the most pleasure or has the most juice. For example, if I have to choose between writing about osteoporosis or writing about sex, I’m going to go with sex! But I also like to tackle subjects that bring up the crusader in me. I recently wrote about the HPV vaccine and why most women don’t need it.”

Wendy Maltz, a sex therapist who has written a number of self-help books, including The Sexual Healing Journey, says she writes only about things she feels passionate about. “I don’t even like writing, but I get all these ideas and writing is the best way to have the biggest social impact. I write out of a need to help, so I choose ideas that will benefit the most people and about which there is the least information available.”

7. ORGANIZE VISUALLY. Hart takes a very visual and organized approach to sorting through her ideas. “I’m a big fan of the bulletin-board approach. I have a huge board in my office. It helps me to be able to see my various projects. I can’t visualize computer files.” Many writers are highly visual and this approach can help a lot, especially if you color-code the cards pinned to your board.

8. THAT’S WHAT FRIENDS ARE FOR. Every writer needs a network of friends she can bounce ideas off of comfortably. There’s no quicker way to jettison a few ideas than pitching them to friends and have them give you that stare that says, “What else have you got?” Over the years, I’ve belonged to several writers’ groups but find I usually go back to the same three or four people for advice. I trust them to tell me the truth and help me sort good ideas from bad.

If you have TMIS, you don’t have to suffer in silence. You can use one or more of these ideas (yes, I realize the oxymoron in presenting an idea person with more ideas). I hope you’ll get relief quickly. If not, my only other advice is to choose the sugary cereal with the toy in it.

Leigh Anne Jasheway-Bryant

Writers Digest