It’s common to get overwhelmed by too many ideas to the point where you can’t work on any of them. You may experience FOMO, the fear of missing out on other ideas if you pick one of them. Or, you may be confused as to which idea you should pick.
The result?
Nothing gets written at all.
Sound familiar?
Too many book ideas can leave us feeling overwhelmed and frustrated.
What we need is to balance this issue by making smart choices so that we get to start working with a book idea instead of going around in circles and never getting anything done.
Here are four ways to tackle the problem of having too many book ideas that drive us insane and don’t allow us to focus on any of them.
Are you ready?
Too many book ideas?
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Tip #1: Write the idea down
Get the idea out of your brain and onto a sheet of paper or your device.
This is the most important step, which many of us don’t do because we think we can hold all these ideas in our head but we’re so wrong.
When you write these ideas on a piece of paper, two things happen. One, you know, you always have these ideas. You’re not going to miss any of them. They’ll always be there. You can always refer to them whenever you want. And two, you give your brain a break from having to remember these things, when there are so many other things you got to do. So put those ideas down on a piece of paper.
Tip #2: Combine or split ideas
Say you have five ideas written down on a piece of paper. You would combine two ideas if they are very similar to one another.
For example, combining two stories with a similar plot could get you a longer or more solid story rather than writing them as two books.
On the other hand, say if you’re writing a nonfiction book, for example, and you’ve crammed it with too many ideas, you can probably split it up into two books so that you’re not giving your reader too much. Rather you’re giving your reader crisp, compact information that’s easy to bite on and that they can really get the maximum benefit out of.
So these are two ways you can work with your ideas once they are down on paper.
Tip #3: Ensure you have a solid idea
Check out which book idea has a really solid idea that can carry through the length of the book.
To do this, I recommend you write down a short outline for all the ideas that you have on your paper. Write down a couple of lines for the beginning, middle, and end. Or if you’re writing a nonfiction book, write down what the chapters are going to be in one word or one line.
It helps to see which of these ideas holds the most meat and the most value so that it really can be translated into a book.
Tip #4: Let the idea speak to your heart
Go with the idea that is calling you the loudest. This seems counterintuitive because sometimes we allow our brains to do all the work. And we discard what the heart is telling us by saying things like – The idea is too simple or nobody is going to like this idea.
If you are called to work on an idea, then you listen to your heart, ignore your brain, and work on the idea that’s calling you the loudest.
Bonus Tip: What’s easy?
Go for the idea that feels easy.
Again, this is something we do not do because we think everything has to be hard. Your stories don’t have to be hard. They can be easy and even if you think that it feels too easy to be true, work on the idea that’s easy because what ends up happening is that you get more practice, you get more confident and you actually start moving forward and making progress.
Sounds simple and easy?
These simple tips will help get you out of the analysis paralysis mode and get you unstuck. They’ll get you moving forward so that you can finally relax and just work on the idea that’s really calling to you while also knowing that all your other ideas are waiting and you can get back to them at any time.
Book Resources for you:
Leading you to a path of success and fulfilment by searching for and finding your whys:
Find Your Why BUY FROM AMAZON.IN
How to eliminate distractions and focus on the one thing that is the most important at this time:
The One Thing BUY FROM AMAZON.IN
Finding one’s purpose in life and the keys to lasting happiness:
Life’s Amazing Secrets BUY FROM AMAZON.IN
Practical tips for everyday well-being and making happiness an integral part of your life:
Happiness Express BUY FROM AMAZON.IN
Get rid of debilitating behaviours that will sabotage your goals:
Deep Work BUY FROM AMAZON.IN
A habit developed the right way goes a long way in achieving a lot more than you can imagine:
Atomic Habits BUY FROM AMAZON.IN
You can find all my books here at BOOKS.
I’d love to hear from you if you found this article useful!
You can write to me at sudha@sudhanair.com
