People often ask us: “What are your plans?”, and we usually smile and say: “We don’t really plan. We have ideas.”
That’s not laziness. It’s a choice. Because not every idea needs to become a project. Not every spark needs to be tracked, assigned, or justified. And not every conversation needs to end in action.
Sometimes it’s enough that the idea showed up.
Let Ideas Breathe
You hold it. Turn it over. Let it breathe. And then you see (with time) whether it’s worth moving on.
This runs counter to most modern logic. We’re trained to optimize, commit, log, execute. Get things done. Move fast. Don’t let ideas escape.
But that’s not strategy. That’s productivity culture, and it doesn’t always lead to clarity.
Signals, Not Tasks
Some ideas are signals. Not tasks. They show you what’s alive. What’s possible. But they don’t demand your energy unless they prove themselves over time.
We’ve had countless ideas that never made it past the dinner table. Big ones. Beautiful ones. Wild, exciting ones.
And that’s fine. That’s how it should be.
Because walking away from an idea isn’t failure. It’s discernment.
You didn’t forget it. You just decided (consciously or quietly) that another path had more pull. Or that now wasn’t the time. Or that it wasn’t worth the cost, once time had shown its shape.
Prototypes, Not Promises
Treating ideas like prototypes, not promises, is a quieter way to work. It keeps your energy available for what actually matters. And it gives you permission to explore without obligation.
Because once an idea hits the to-do list, it comes with baggage:
- Deadlines
- Expectations
- Accountability
- Emotional overhead
And if you load too many of those at once, you burn out on things you never even wanted.
The Better Way
So here’s the shift: Don’t measure your ideas by how many you execute. Measure them by what they teach you, even if they never ship.
Keep a sketchbook, not a contract. Trust your internal radar. And let time (that silent, honest filter) show you which ones were real.
If you follow every idea, you’ll drown. If you follow none, you’ll wither. But if you let them pass through you and only act when the fit, timing, and energy are right, you’ll move better than most.
Not faster. Better.