Got an idea for something great? Do you want to launch a new service, write a book, go back to school, take a sabbatical, or invent a new iPhone app? And that is just for these 30 seconds.

If you are a business owner and part of the Creative Class, you might suffer from idea overload and struggle to manage them all. The overwhelm causes you to get stuck and stop taking forward action on your ideas.
It may surprise you to know that a synonym for idea is plan. That said, putting your ideas into action requires (I’ll say that again—requires) you to plan, prioritize, and schedule.

Create a deadline

In Rework by the founders of 37 Signals, they discuss the best way to validate whether to pursue an idea: Create a deadline. If you can’t turn “let’s think about it” into “let’s decide on this” then let the idea go. If an idea is “good enough”, act now. You can turn it into “great” later.
 

Act on inspiration

The difference between an idea and inspiration is nested in the creative process. You can schedule an idea deadline, but you cannot schedule the inspiration to get you there. So add flexibility to your plan: give yourself freedom and permission to change the schedule because it is indeed on task and related to your plan. Act when the moment hits you (for me is usually right before I go to sleep). A caution: When you begin to act on something that inspires you but will take you in an entirely new direction, pause and rethink it before you go further.
 

Organize

Scott Belsky, founder and CEO of Behance, preaches that Creativity x Organization = Impact. No matter how creative your ideas are, if you have zero organization, you have zero impact.
 

Small minute picture

Consider your big picture for a few minutes while you decide if your idea is on target. If the answer is yes, from this point forward, only concentrate on each week’s action. Each week decide on the small list of 2 to 3 tasks to propel your progress and complete your goal. Do not attempt to plan out the entire quarter’s task list. It usually serves only to overwhelm and halt progress.
 

Time trumping

If your day is full, acting on a new idea means trumping something that is already part of your day. Decide in advance and be realistic about what will be trumped. Perhaps work an extra hour and sacrifice home/family time or cut back on blogging if your family time is more important.
 

Build an idea ranch

Think of your ideas as cows grazing on a ranch. It takes a long time to run across hundreds of acres to attend to each individual cow if you practice open range ranching. Instead build a “fence” (action management system) around your ideas to keep them closer to you. Your system lets you herd, lasso and wrangle a specific idea with less chasing and searching. Don’t let your ideas get dusty by not taking action. Instead, join your clients when they marvel at your ingenious design.