Part 2: Idea Seeds & How to Manage Them

Necessity is the mother of invention, but how do you track and harness those ideas as they develop? Here are a couple of tips that I routinely use to bring structure into the entropy that is my brain. 

Although I am only in my late thirties I find myself turning into an old man. I prefer talk radio over music, I make random “old guy sounds” brought on by the easiest movements, and I talk to random people about how the kids of today have it so easy. One phrase in particular that seems to creep into my routine vocabulary is ““Why the !@#$ was this thing designed this way?” Unlike my other peculiar aging tendencies, this particular phrase can be turned into an opportunity. All aspects of our society continue to evolve. Products today are markedly better than products of yesterday, but they will never be as good as the products of tomorrow.

It is one thing to swear creatively under your breath about a design, but why stop there? Why not do something about it? This frustration forces your brain to seek out alternatives and every now and then, a cartoon lightbulb may appear over your head. Congratulations! Your idea seed has been planted.

Before your idea seeds can be turned into a beautiful crop of creations, you must properly store and document the idea seeds. There is no right way to do this and only one wrong way to do this…doing nothing at all.

I use the techniques listed below to document and review my idea seeds. I welcome any ideas about methods to remembering and/or filtering the burst of innovations that flow through our neurons faster than you can say esophageal jejunostomy:  

• Quick access to notepads. Either physical or digital will work. Try keeping a notepad beside your bed, put up a small magnet white board on your fridge, use any built-in note taking app on your phone. 
• Create a “Why the !@#$ was this thing designed this way?” diary. When things frustrate you, document it. This will lead to a whole book of idea seeds just waiting to be planted.
• Identifying what sparked the idea seed is crucial. What were you doing/not-doing, experiencing/not experiencing when you thought of the idea seed? Do your actions lend themselves to other people? As my friend Plato said “Necessity is the mother of invention.” What was your necessity? Write it down!
• It has never been easier to research your idea seed. We live in the age of information and a quick search on the interwebs will most likely turn up YouTube videos, blogs, patents and articles that relate to your idea seed. This can result in quick feedback on how to improve/extend/alter/proceed with your idea seed or you may quickly realize that someone else has already figured out the solution to your problem.
• It is important to talk to people about your idea seed before you do anything hasty like sink your (or others) life savings and energy into the cultivation of the idea seed. Sanity checks are a must. Run the idea seed by trusted family members, friends and mentors to reduce risks associated with the growth of your idea seed.

I want to reiterate that this “Entrepreneur = The Motivation to Create” series can relate to any small improvement in your day to day lives. And maybe, just maybe, there is a larger business opportunity for you to improve other peoples journey in life as well. Document, review, repeat. Have a positive day!