Increase Your Idea To Action Velocity

In order to increase how fast you turn ideas into action you must simplify your creative process, speed up your decision making, and improve your ability to produce mock-ups and prototypes.

Use methods like brainstorming and list making and mind-mapping to generate lots of ideas quickly. Then, figure out which ideas are most appealing, have the most potential for success, and which are the most doable in order to make them a reality in the least amount of time. Then rank them by priority based on your most important criteria and get to work. Focus on one idea and see it through to the end. Only work on the second idea if there is a delay in waiting for elements beyond your control in producing the first idea.

Improve your ability to make decisions more quickly. Breakdown your options until you’re only choosing between two ideas and look for the “Hell Yes” and the “Hell No” to guide you. I’ve found that when there are huge differences between two options (do you want the logo design with the black triangle or the red circle?) it’s actually easier for a person to make their choice — but when the differences between two choices is negligible (do you want your business card design to position the logo in the center or to the side?) the more difficult it can be to choose between them.

The first type of decision should be easier to make, thus you can make it faster. The second type of decision can be very subjective and it usually doesn’t matter all the much, yet the time to decide keeps getting extend. In this instances you should simply flip a coin and move on.

And finally, get better at producing mock-ups and prototypes in order to launch early 1.0 versions of your projects more quickly. Want to write book? Start with single chapter or a short story. Want to create a training course? Begin with a checklist. Want to make a movie? Start with a storyboard.

These proof of concept versions will give you something to put in front of potential buyers. Go take a look at some campaigns on the Kickstarter.com website. Especially within the boardgames and card games. Pay attention to the test play versions they usually feature on the page or in the videos. The used these prototypes to produce a real and playable version of the game and then used it in their pitch to get supporters to help fund the finished version.

By speeding up how fast you act on ideas and turn them into reality, you can innovate faster and shorten your time to profits and success.

This article first appeared in the Big Yellow Sticky newsletter.
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