Infinite ideas

Here’s how to never run out of ideas and always improve your writing and thinking (even on your worst days):

1. Pick a topic you’d like to understand better. I like to start with something that’s been frustrating me about the status quo of our work. Why is there so much average work? Why do we cling to best practices so much? Why is creativity often treated as a random stunt instead of consistent habit?

2. Write any ideas you have on the subject already, no matter how half-baked they seem. Forcing yourself to articulate something is the best way to understand it — but also to find new questions you have.

3. Those new questions become the next set of ideas to explore and write about. Each new question begets several more. One idea is like the trunk, and it should have endless branches. The more you write, the more you understand — but also the more questions (ideas) you have.

4. Feel yourself slowing down? Make it a point to OBSERVE something or CONSUME something (ideally, something outside your echo chamber, i.e. not industry blogs). Then, challenge yourself to write about how the observation or the content you consumed might apply to your topic — whether directly or as a metaphor.

5. Repeat. Eventually, you can look back at the body of work and find commonalities or through lines that might become a book or podcast or speech or any larger project — or simply more ideas to write about.

In summary, pick a topic, then pursue it with relentless curiosity. If you get stuck, observe the world around you or consume something from it. For sanity’s sake, save every question or tidbit or insight you find.

This is what it takes to have a long, prolific career writing.

So what are you waiting for? What topic will you learn more about? When do you start writing about your infinite ideas?

You didn’t ask, but I’ll give my advice anyway: start today.

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3 things I’m doing during this strange time for us all:

1) A weekly Instagram Live for makers and marketers. Join me and special guests for The 1-Star Club every Tuesday at 1:30ET.

2) My book, Break the Wheel, is temporarily on sale. Order 10 or more for your team, and I’ll join the group on a live call to help however I can. The book explores how to make decisions when the best practices simply won’t do.

3) Or join my weekly journey to understand what it takes to create your audience’s favorite podcast: marketingshowrunners.com/favorite