How to choose from among all your great ideas

The Paradox of Too Many Ideas

Creative people rarely suffer from a lack of ideas. The problem is usually the opposite: too many ideas competing for attention, each one feeling urgent and promising. This abundance creates paralysis. How do you know which idea deserves your limited time and energy?

“I have lots of ideas. How do I pick the right one? Execute on as many as possible. The right idea will pick you.”

— James Altucher

Altuchers advice sounds counterintuitive at first. If you cannot decide between ideas, executing on all of them seems like it would scatter your focus even further. But there is wisdom in this approach that becomes clear once you try it.

Why Execution Reveals Truth

Ideas in your head exist in a perfect, untested state. They seem equally viable because you have not encountered the friction of making them real. Once you start executing, some ideas immediately reveal themselves as more difficult, less interesting, or less viable than they appeared in the abstract. Other ideas gain energy from execution. The more you work on them, the more possibilities you discover. New connections emerge. The work itself generates enthusiasm rather than draining it. These are the ideas worth pursuing. You cannot determine which ideas will respond this way without trying them. Thinking harder about which idea to choose just keeps you stuck in your head where all ideas remain equal.

Practical Application

When facing competing creative directions, give each one a small trial. Spend a few hours on each idea, doing real work rather than planning. Notice which ones make you want to keep going and which ones feel like obligations. The idea that survives contact with reality and still excites you has proven something. It has demonstrated that it can sustain your interest through difficulty. That track record matters more than any amount of speculation about potential.