This is part of a series of posts about how to make your ideas actually happen. Take a deep breath before you start reading this one, it’s long.

Introduction
Figure out the Steps
Bring Order to Chaos
Ask for Help
Conquer Your Fear
Get It Done

Bring Order to Chaos

The last thing you did was create a large stack of index cards that represented a list of tasks that need to be accomplished in order for your idea to actually happen. Now it’s time for the fun part: put all of the tasks in order, so you know what to do first, second, third, and last. Don’t grumble–this is the fun part!

Use your right-brain skills

This step is often natural for left-brainers (think: engineer) because it can be looked at very logically. However, it can also be easy for right-brainers if you know a snazzy little trick. I don’t have a name for this trick, so if you think of a good one, please let me know.

Use your favorite right-brain activity as a framework. First, think of something that you love to do that uses your right brain (that creative, intuitive part of yourself). It could be painting, writing, designing, dancing, or anything. Pick something you enjoy and/or comes easily to you.

Consider your approach to your favorite activity. Now, think about your approach to that activity. Let’s use painting as an example. When you set out to make a painting, you first start with a general concept. You have a sense of what your painting will be. You imagine the background, foreground, areas you will emphasize, color palate you will use, etc. Next, you pick one of these elements to start with and paint some. Then you move to another element and paint. You continue to the different elements, circling back for fine-tuning until you’re done. (Or something like that; I’m not much of a painter.)

If you’re a writer, you have the concept of your story. You work on character development, chapters, and subplots, but you’re also keyed into the whole story. Details plus big picture.

Pretend you’re doing your favorite thing. Now, apply your approach to this step of putting the tasks in order.
1. Think about the big picture.
2. Figure out the main elements.
3. Work on one element at a time.
4. Circle back around and fine-tune things until you’re satisfied.

Put it all in order

Now that you have an approach that leverages your right-brain skills, let me give you a specific example so you can try this for your own idea.

Let’s say your idea is to create a downloadable e-product to sell on your site. You got clear on the product, and you know all of the steps required. Now you need to put the tasks in order.

Think of the big picture. As listed above, the first step is to think of the big picture. This is your e-product. Feel it (or see it or taste it or smell it). Connect with your idea.

Figure out the main elements. Next, figure out what the main elements are for making this idea real, just like you figured out the main elements of your painting before you put brush to canvas. For your e-product, the main elements may be (1) written content, (2) images, (3) format, (4) sales page, (5) sales engine–how money gets to you and how the product gets to your customer, and (6) launch.

Put each of these 6 elements on an index card. Lay these index cards out on the floor or a table in the general order that they need to happen (eg, the sales engine needs to be decided on and set up before you can launch your product).

Sort the tasks by elements. Once you identify the main elements and they’re on index cards and placed in order on your floor or table, sort your tasks (the original stack of index cards of every little detail that needs to be accomplished) by assigning them to the appropriate element. Put all of the tasks associated with writing your content near that element’s index card; put all of the tasks associated with creating your sales page with that element’s index card.

You’ve got a plan!

Now you have a general order to everything that needs to be done to make your idea actually happen. This is your plan. (I say this with a really big smile.)

You will find a few things happen when you create your plan this way.
1. Some tasks could go in multiple places. When this happens, assign the task to the element that has to happen first.
2. Some tasks under element #2 need to happen before you can complete a task in element #1. Move that task to the element that has to happen first.
3. Some tasks don’t seem to be associated with any element. This is no big deal. Assign it to the earliest element that it is tangentially related to.

From this point, you have two options. You can (1) run with it or (2) refine it, using this as a starting point, creating the specific order necessary for project completion, such as A then B then C then … you get the idea.

What you choose to do is up to you. For me, option 1 is good enough. I like the flexibility of tweaking things along the way and having some choice as to what I work on during a given day. For others, knowing the exact order is reassuring and will help them ensure that they follow through. You know yourself best.

Make your plan visible

Whether you chose to keep your tasks grouped by elements or refine your plan from step 1 to 1 million, you now need to make your plan visible. Find a wall, an office door, or some place where you can post your plan. Seriously, put them on a wall, either grouped by element or in order from 1 to 1 million. You’ll use this later to help you keep track of what you’ve done, what’s up next, and how much progress you made.

Phew! That was a long one. But hey, now you have a plan. You know what needs to be accomplished in order to make your idea actually happen.

Next up: Ask for help. (No, help is not a four-letter word. Plan wasn’t either, was it?)