What To Do When You Have Too Many Ideas

As a passionate writer or creator of any kind, there may come a time when you find yourself overflowing with ideas, pulled in different directions by your imagination. As much as we may prefer to have too many ideas rather than no ideas, this can be overwhelming and halt your overall progress, and leave you with more questions than answers. Which project should you focus on? How do you narrow down your focus in order to decide? What should you do when you begin feeling overwhelmed? How do you deal with it all? There are a few common ways to deal with it, some agreed upon by professors in the Writing Arts department.

So you’re very inspired and have come up with multiple projects, maybe two, three, or five, or ten. Maybe only a couple of them are narrative pieces, and others are focused on more technical writing, or another different form and/or genre. However many projects you have, trying to work on them all or decide between them can exhaust you and sap away your enthusiasm. You may become overwhelmed or burnt out. Trying to work on them all could also keep you from finishing any one of them, and instead trap you in a cycle of progressing little by little or not at all. While you could potentially juggle some of these projects and bounce back and forth between them, it’s still a better idea to narrow down your focus to just one or two. 

One of the best ways to start is to keep your ideas organized. You could keep journals, create folders, put your work in boxes, whatever works best for you. Take notes and make sure you know the gist of the idea and all the factors that get you excited about it. If it’s a fictional project, for example, you could be invested in the concept, the plot, the setting, and so on. Whatever it may be, write it down. You could also add things that inspire you or remind you of the project, whether they be songs, pictures, books, games, and so on. If you organize everything physically rather than digitally, make sure you keep everything together in one place. Your notes will do you no good if you end up just misplacing them. You will want to keep organized so that if you eventually come to work on one of the ideas you’ve put on the backburner, you can be easily reminded about its details and not get caught up in not remembering anything. I myself use folders, journals, the notes app on my phone, and comments in the margins of my WIPs to keep my projects organized.

Once you’ve organized your ideas, you can begin to pick and choose which one you’d like to focus on. Each of the professors I’ve spoken to has suggested that you choose whichever one makes you the most excited, which one inspires you and ignites your passion. (However, in a case where you're busy with other things and don’t have the time or energy to devote to that idea, you should choose whichever idea is the most practical). Being passionate about what you're working on will keep you motivated and increase the likelihood that you’ll finish the project and give it 100% of your effort. If you choose one you aren't as passionate about, it may lay abandoned soon after, or you may grow to dislike the idea altogether.

If you find yourself struggling or stuck with your chosen focus, the projects you chose not to work on could help reinvigorate your passion. You could carefully switch to another project for some time and then come back to your main project with fresh eyes. Looking back at your other projects, or whatever notes you have for your main project, can make you excited to write and give you time to come up with new ideas. If you’re overwhelmed by everything, it may be best to take a step back and do something unrelated to your project. Go for a walk, listen to music, read a book, play a game. Remember that taking time away from your project can be a good thing. Whatever you end up doing can both relax you and could open your mind up to new possibilities for your WIPs.
    
To summarize, when you have too many ideas, break them down and take note of what’s important. Decide which ones are most attractive to you, which ones feel like you need to complete them. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the need to narrow down your focus or by whatever you’re working on, do something different and let your mind wander. Or, choose one of the projects you set aside and take a look at it. It may be just what you need.

McKenna Harris-Colvin