Collage Artwork – Cathryn Lloyd
How many ideas have popped in and out of your mind lately?
A book you’ve always wanted to write. A place you dream of visiting. That instrument, that language you want to learn, that persistent problem you’d love to solve.
Ideas rarely arrive in neat, logical order. They show up as a complex web of thoughts, weaving in and out of our awareness. Some vanish in an instant, never to be seen again. Others linger, floating around like clouds, constantly shifting, never quite forming into something solid. And then there are the ones that grab us, refuse to let go, and demand our full attention.
But what happens to those ideas that we don’t follow?
The uncomfortable truth is that most of them don’t fade away because we made a clear decision not to let them go. They wither from neglect. We don’t reject them outright, we just never quite get around to them. And so, they sit quietly in the background, draining our mental energy like unopened emails or forgotten to-do lists.
The Illusion of Progress
We tell ourselves we’re too busy, too tired, the timing isn’t right, or someone else has already done it. And sometimes those are valid reasons to let an idea go.
But more often, we get stuck in the illusion of progress, convincing ourselves that simply having the idea counts for something. That first wave of “I’m going to…” feels good enough that we trick ourselves into thinking we’ve started.
Meanwhile, the idea waits.
And if left too long, it stops feeling exciting or inspiring and begins to feel heavy. Like proof that we can’t follow through. Ouch.
This happens in business, too. How many product improvements, customer experience ideas, or system changes sit in your team’s “someday” pile? Ideas that could shift the needle and business outcomes but get buried under the weight of business as usual.
Collage Artwork – Cathryn Lloyd
What Can You Do?
Ideas we choose to nurture, by giving them time, energy, and focus, can change everything. They can reshape careers, businesses, creative projects, and even your sense of purpose.
Here’s a simple place to start: the twenty-minute rescue.
Next time an idea grabs you, set aside twenty minutes to explore it. You’re not committing. You’re not mapping it all out, you’re just giving it space to breathe and seeing if it still feels alive once you pay attention to it.
Block out the time in your calendar. Find twenty minutes during your week or weekend to follow the thread, research, sketch, scribble, and talk it through. See where it takes you. That’s how I began a project creating daily artwork, which ultimately led to opportunities I could never have seen from the beginning https://www.maverickminds.com.au/facilitation/artworks/
In twenty minutes you’re actively moving an idea from the foggy land of someday into the real world, say, Tuesday at 2 PM.
What Your Ideas Are Really Waiting For
It’s not just you, okay? I know this pattern well. I launched the podcast Maverick Musings: Unearthing Creative Gems. People listened. The feedback was positive. And then… I stopped. Life, timing, distractions, all valid, but the idea keeps tapping me on the shoulder. Right now, I’m stuck in my own illusion of progress.
Maybe you have something like that too. An idea that won’t let go. One that deserves more than indefinite limbo.
The truth is, we’ll never have time for every idea. But some are worth rescuing. Your ideas are ultimately waiting for you – to get more curious, and take the next step, even if it’s just a small one.
When “Someday” Needs a Shortcut
That’s where coaching can make the difference. Helping people clear space for ideas, reconnect with creative energy, and turn vague “maybes” into meaningful momentum is one of my favourite parts of this work.
So… what idea keeps circling you? Are you caught in the illusion of progress? If you’d like to chat about it, no pressure, just an idea-rescue mission, I’d love to help.
If you want to hear the podcast, it’s called Maverick Minds: Unearthing Creative Gems. You’ll find it wherever you get your podcasts. Let me know what you think or tell me what Creative Gems you’d love to hear about next, so I can turn my paused idea into action. In the meantime, thanks for being part of this community. Your encouragement keeps me showing up and reminds me that even small steps create real progress.