Looking for a new career?  Want to launch a new business?  Trying to put your crazy ideas into action?  Whatever the project, most productive innovators will tell you it’s not about the ideas; it’s about making them happen.  One of the most famous American inventors of all time, Thomas Edison famously said, “Genius is 1 percent inspiration, 99 percent perspiration.”  In the book “Making Ideas Happen” Scott Belsky goes on a mission to show us how to stay productive and organized in order to drive creative projects to completion.

Today more than ever, we have opportunities to accomplish almost anything we want thanks to the information economy.  The only problem is, that most often we face certain common obstacles that hold us back such as disorganization and perfectionism.  But don’t sweat, here are 3 productivity tips that can help you execute on that next project, big or small!

1. Action Steps…
…are tasks that must be completed.  Start by applying a verb to the beginning of these tasks: “Call business partner,” “Follow up with employer from yesterdays interview,” “Buy a gift for Corey.”  More importantly, keep these separate from any other sketches or notes to keep you focused.

2. References…
…are overrated!  These are the articles, links, sketches, notes and anything else that clutters up your inbox or thought process.  However references can be useful because they give context to your Action Steps.  Organize references chronologically in one folder so you can search past meetings, brain bumping sessions etc by date if you ever need to find them.

3. Backburner Items…
...are ideas that are not actionable…yet.  Place these in a centralized location and revisit these once a month.  When it comes time, grab a cold drink, sit down and cross off items as irrelevant, keep some alive, and transform others into action steps.

To sum this up, next time you’re in a meeting, brainstorming session, dream or on the run make sure to capture your action steps, references and backburner items. Once aggregated you can then plough through it and associate everything with a project.  Then put on your hard hat, grab your lunch pail and feel the flow from creativity to managing a successful project. 

If you’re interested you can also download the ActionMethod App to help you get started.

For some real world examples of great companies making extraordinary ideas happen check out Syncapse, Social Media Group and of course Rypple!  If you have any questions or comments, I would love to hear them so please leave your mark below.

No go on….and start shipping those ideas!

Corey is a Business grad from Brock University and Vestiigo member. He is passionate about the creative processes involved with online marketing and strategy panning within the social web landscape. As a former professional hockey player, Corey is driven by the hustle and heart it takes to be a winner and is continuously adapting to new sales trends and emerging technologies to achieve even greater success within business.

Photo: Above photograph used under CC license