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Time Constraints Test Robustness of the Ideas in Your Notebook

Nov 5, 2018 | Thoughts

I have been attending Foundry Grounds each Friday, meeting new and interesting people over coffee, conversation, and short presentations.

One common thread between almost everyone?  They carry a notebook to jot down their thoughts and ideas, capturing vignettes of time and space.

I practice this habit as well, resulting in several notebooks full of scribblings, random words, sentences, and more.

What do you do with all of these bits of yourself?

I have employed an idea fragility filter over last few months and the method has yielded great results.

  1. Revisit a notebook
  2. Turn to a random page
  3. Open up The Most Dangerous Writing App
  4. Write

I usually use the 75-word setting and go.  If I can’t write 75-words about the idea, it isn’t worth pursuing[1].

You will be amazed at what will come out of you if you know that you cannot stop for longer than 5-seconds before all is lost.  The pressure is exhilarating and pushes you into a less critical state of mind, ideally reaching flow.

Now I challenge you.  Get out a notebook, turn to a random page, and type for 75-words.  What comes out may not all be gold, but if you make it to the end, there is usually a nugget you can build upon.  Repeat the process in a Sisyphean trance until you have exhausted your creative energies at the moment.  Wait for a bit and do it again with another idea.

[1]:  Maybe it was the current moment that failed to yield results.  You can try again at a different date, but in my experience, it is best to move on to another idea.