How to think of an idea worth starting

It’s Sunday afternoon, and I’m feeling the effects of last night’s drinks with friends (so please excuse any lack of polish before this goes out on Tuesday!).

The conversation, at first, wasn’t exactly uplifting. Two of them were talking about the tedious grind of work and the frustrating “rat race” so many of us fall into as soon as we start our careers, leaving us feeling like there’s never quite enough time or money left for actually living. A bit of a downer, I know, and I promise the evening picked up after that.

But before it did, I couldn’t help but ask the nagging question: Why not try something different?

This was mostly out of genuine curiosity. Many of the things we complain about are, at least to some extent, within our power to change. It won’t happen overnight, and it definitely requires effort. But have we forgotten that there are other possibilities beyond the monotonous corporate world?

My weekly Monday mantra on Instagram (@elevatingecom!) is “just start the thing.” Lately, though, I’ve realised that the problem isn’t always the starting; it’s identifying what the ‘thing’ to start is. When you encourage someone to try something new, the reflexive answer is almost always, “And do what?”

It’s the “what could I actually start”, over starting, that is the hardest part.

So that’s what I’m here to help you with this week.

Like this? I’d love it if you subscribed.

We put too much pressure on ideation

From my experience, people who want more don’t lack a work ethic or motivation, but the ability to identify a direction that feels both personal and viable.

Part of the problem is that we expect ideas to be good far too early. Fully formed and even validated before we’ve ever allowed ourselves to write them down. So we self-edit before we’ve given ourselves anything to work with.

I recently came across an old article by James Altucher where he talks about becoming an “idea machine”. One of his core suggestions is deceptively simple: force yourself to come up with ten ideas. And if you can’t get to ten, make it twenty.

Of course, not all twenty will be good, and that’s the point.

“Perfectionism is the enemy of the idea muscle: it's your brain trying to protect you from harm, from coming up with an idea that is embarrassing and stupid could cause you to suffer pain. The way you shut this off is by forcing the brain to come up with bad ideas.”

James Altucher

I’ve seen the same thing play out in workshops over and over again. When you ask people for one good idea, they freeze. But when you put a timer on and tell people you expect a long list, the ideas get looser and much more interesting.

What volume does is bypass your internal censor and gives you permission to be messy on paper, so you don’t have to be paralysed in your head. The goal shifts from finding the ideas to creating enough raw material that something has a chance to surface. Which is the real starting point.

It took me about 10 runs to run my first full mile without stopping. Now, I’ve ran 5 marathons. Your starting point doesn’t need to be perfect.

You’re probably playing it too safe

Before you grab your pen and paper and start trying to write down 10 ideas, I am here to tell you that those first 10 ideas will likely be very bad. And that’s because you’ll be unknowingly putting constraints on how creative those ideas can be.

Years ago, when I ran ideation workshops on customer journey improvements, I’d often start by asking everyone in the room to draw their dream house.

Almost without fail, the first round looked the same. A nice-sized house with a big garden, windows and a roof. Maybe a tree out front. Or occasionally, someone would add a pool if they were feeling bold. So I’d ask the group if that was genuinely their dream house.

Had they ever imagined a waterslide that wrapped around the house, straight into the pool? A climbing wall to get from the bedroom into the garden? A roof that opened so you could watch the stars from bed? A house shaped like something completely impractical but deeply personal?

Most people hadn’t. Not because they lacked imagination, but because they’d unconsciously designed something sensible that fit within the constraints they’d unknowingly set themselves.

So we’d do it again.

This time, with removing all constraints of budget, practicality, people’s opinions, and anything else they’d decided to set without me telling them to. Then the house designs would completely change into ridiculous, beautiful, truly dream-worthy concoctions. And more importantly for my workshop, everyone began to notice how quickly we limit ourselves without realising we’re doing it.

We do the same thing when we try to come up with ideas for a business, a side project, or a life change. We instinctively design within invisible boundaries of what feels acceptable, realistic, respectable, or already proven. We rule things out before we’ve even named them.

Of course, in real life, there are boundaries of things like budget and feasibility. But it is so much harder to think bigger with an idea that started small than to have a big-picture vision and simply start with a smaller step to get closer to that goal.

Safety is a terrible filter for originality.

So start by writing out 10 ideas. Reflect on them and begin thinking about the limitations you’re imposing. Are these business ideas the only things you could do right now, rather than allowing yourself to acknowledge you could learn how to do Y or get better at X? Then, rewrite 10+ more ideas without the constraints.

2 years ago, my partner had never skied before and labelled it as a thing that wasn’t for him. Now, he can confidently get down a good slope and it’s one of his favourite types of holidays. Just because you can’t do something now doesn’t mean you can’t learn.

So how do you know which idea is a good one?

Once you finally have a list of ideas in front of you, the relief is probably short-lived. Unfortunately, there is no way to know for sure which of your ideas is good.

Ideas don’t arrive labelled as “good” or “bad”. They become one or the other through contact with reality. Trying, adjusting, learning, and noticing how they feel once they’re no longer theoretical. Before that, they’re just ideas. That uncertainty is uncomfortable, especially if you’re someone who likes to make considered decisions. But waiting for certainty here will only keep you stuck.

So instead of asking which idea is the best, try to work through some very top-line plans for how different ideas could play out. If there’s any that really stick out to you as something you’d be excited for, or ones that you keep coming back to.

Position it as choosing an experiment rather than your future, and limit any pressure you put on yourself to start a whole new life.

I once described an idea list like a cookbook. You probably only star a few recipes to try. Some you may save and never make, others will keep calling your name until they’re a new staple. That’s how I picked this to be my favourite soup.

Then it’s time to start.

Starting is simply the point where an idea stops living entirely in your head and begins interacting with the real world. It doesn’t need to require an announcement or serious investment, and it definitely doesn’t require you to know where it’s all heading.

The mistake most people make at this stage is assuming they need a fully formed plan before they’re allowed to begin. But I wish I had spent less time planning.

Once you take the first step, whatever that first step may be, you have something to refine or more knowledge to build on. That first step could be writing out a working title for a book or talking to someone who’s already done something similar. It’s not got to be huge.

You may even find that your idea begins to take shape. Certain elements will likely lose their appeal to you, whereas others will foster excitement. Questions can begin to be answered, and you’ll often find the next step will naturally come to you. But none of that can happen if everything stays hypothetical. You need to stop trying to find the perfect idea or make too many decisions at once.

So, if you’re asking yourself “What could I actually start?”:

1. Write down 10+ ideas

2. Write down 10+ more without any guardrails

3. Pick one idea you feel the strongest pull towards

4. Begin with one small step that can move you towards that

5. Give it time! And see where it takes you.

Like this? I’d love it if you subscribed!