{"id":220952,"date":"2023-04-04T08:44:40","date_gmt":"2023-04-04T08:44:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/?p=220952"},"modified":"2023-04-03T15:44:26","modified_gmt":"2023-04-03T15:44:26","slug":"when-in-doubt-put-the-ideas-in","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/when-in-doubt-put-the-ideas-in\/","title":{"rendered":"When in doubt, put the ideas in"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\t\t\t\t\t
Takeaway: <\/b>When you\u2019re uncertain about whether to put a great new idea into a project or save it for the next one, my default approach is to always include it. In my experience, this will make your current project more interesting and enjoyable.<\/span><\/p>\n

Estimated Reading Time:<\/b> 2 minutes, 6s.<\/div><\/div>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not sure who needs this advice, but if you create a lot of original work, this one\u2019s for you. <\/span><\/p>\n

Lately I\u2019ve been doing a bunch of interviews around my new book. Toward the end of the conversation, a few interviewers inevitably ask: \u201cSo, can you give any preview of what your next book will be about?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

I never can. Odd as it might sound, I never have an idea for the next book when I\u2019m writing the current one. I know some authors who have ideas for their next book (or two! or three!) mapped ahead of time. But my honest answer is always that I\u2019m not yet thinking about the next book.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sometimes there\u2019s a follow up question: \u201cWait, you don\u2019t stumble onto ideas for new books as you\u2019re writing?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

I do\u2014and this is one of my favorite parts of writing. But I always put those ideas in the book I\u2019m already working on\u2014even if they move the narrative in a new direction. Sometimes especially<\/i> if they move the book in a new direction. <\/span><\/p>\n

In a weird way, my latest book is a three-in-one for this very reason. It\u2019s a book on how we can overcome anxiety by investing in our state of mind. But it\u2019s also about two other ideas I encountered during the writing process. <\/span><\/p>\n

First, it\u2019s about how a calm mind saves us time by making us more productive\u2014and the cognitive toll of anxiety. Second, it\u2019s a deconstruction of burnout and the factors that cause this phenomenon. Each of these topics could probably be a book on its own. And while I\u2019m obviously biased, I think my new book is more helpful and interesting because I made the decision to explore all three topics rather than hold off for some future project.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

This post riffs on some of the ideas in my latest book, How to Calm Your Mind.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

For me, putting all my ideas into a current project has become a point of leverage<\/b>\u2014doing so makes what I\u2019m working on more helpful, fun, and interesting. Plus I\u2019ve found there is never a shortage of ideas out there for the next project.<\/span><\/p>\n

Opting to include fresh ideas in a project also makes the writing process more enjoyable\u2014you get to chase whims and string together existing ideas. (Plus enjoyment is key for writing\u2014and a lack of it is the main reason we <\/span>put it off.)<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re creating a project that you hope will be helpful and interesting, pour everything you have into it. That includes ideas, even if many may be strong enough to stand alone as future projects.<\/span><\/p>\n

More ideas are always around the corner.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A peek into my personal creative process.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":220953,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhen in doubt, put the ideas in - Chris Bailey<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/when-in-doubt-put-the-ideas-in\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"When in doubt, put the ideas in - Chris Bailey\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A peek into my personal creative process.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/when-in-doubt-put-the-ideas-in\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Chris Bailey\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-04-04T08:44:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-04-03T15:44:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/e7kz5pq2qq4.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/ashes-sitoula-UfEyDdXlRp8-unsplash.jpg?strip=all&lossy=1&ssl=1\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2048\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1152\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Chris Bailey\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@https:\/\/twitter.com\/chris_bailey\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@chris_bailey\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/when-in-doubt-put-the-ideas-in\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/when-in-doubt-put-the-ideas-in\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Chris Bailey\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/#\/schema\/person\/52e99dd14925b1bfe8c1034b8d40ed70\"},\"headline\":\"When in doubt, put the ideas in\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-04-04T08:44:40+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-04-03T15:44:26+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/when-in-doubt-put-the-ideas-in\/\"},\"wordCount\":532,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/#\/schema\/person\/52e99dd14925b1bfe8c1034b8d40ed70\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/when-in-doubt-put-the-ideas-in\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/ashes-sitoula-UfEyDdXlRp8-unsplash.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"General Productivity\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/when-in-doubt-put-the-ideas-in\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/when-in-doubt-put-the-ideas-in\/\",\"name\":\"When in doubt, put the ideas in - 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