Small Fragile Ideas
“Ideas are so fragile. It is so easy to miss an idea because they can be so quiet. Or to snuff an idea out.” — Jonathan Ive
In his book Linchpin, Seth Godin writes:
Little thoughts are ephemeral. They come, and inevitably, they go. We don’t remember them an hour later, never mind a week or a month later.
There have been times when taking a shower, an idea will hit me, and I haven’t had a method to capture it. Just as quick as it came, the idea is gone. Subtle thoughts. Hours later, I have forgotten. Seth Godin mentions that he came up with the idea for his book Permission Marketing — in the shower. Next time, I’m jumping out and grabbing a pen.
And he adds:
The challenge is in being alert enough to write them down, to prioritize them, to build them, and to ship them out the door. It’s a habit, it’s easy to learn, and it’s frightening.
Write It Down
My iPhone goes where I go. All the time. Personally, I use Simplenote to jot down quick ideas when I’m on the go. A small seed of an idea will form and it is always at my side to capture. Sensing when, being alert to it, that is the hard part.
Often I find myself then expanding that small idea with Evernote into more mature thoughts or further research.
It’s Frightening
Why? Because it challenges us to actually create something. To produce instead of plan. To ship. And that involves an outcome that is beyond our comfort zone. Push beyond. Shine.