When you run your own professional creative practice, you sometimes find yourself overwhelmed. There seems to be a thousand things to do, and only a few people to do it. Maybe you are the people.

The obvious way to set priorities is to take care of the most time-sensitive things first so you don’t miss any deadlines. But what happens after that?

If you’re someone who enjoys being organized, you’re reading this with your finger already poised over your mouse, while your mental To Do list is writing itself. No need to read further.

If you’re an intuitive type, you’re probably praying for an easy, magic solution.

Yeah, well.

Weave your way through the priorities list
Sometimes you just have to go with what your bones tell you is right. You could put on some music, get busy with the bookkeeping, and relax into the groove. Nine times out of ten that will work. But the tenth time, if you’re just can’t get into it, it’s not going to happen.

Don’t beat yourself up about it.

Something in that pile of stuff will be a logical starting place. Maybe it’s the smallest thing. Maybe it’s the most enjoyable thing. Some productivity coaches will tell you to leave the fun until the end, as a reward, but that means the rest feels like punishment.

You might get more momentum out of the energy you generate by doing something you enjoy.

From setting priorities to sorting ideas
You won’t feel any less overwhelmed if you’re working on new ideas and can’t decide which one to tackle first. You can do a careful, cost/benefit analysis, or you can kick it old school—way old school.

Let’s say you have five potential projects. Write down each idea on a slip of paper and draw one out of a hat. If you pick #4 and immediately think, “No! I wanted to do #2!” that’s the idea to follow.

It’s an easy, low tech method, and it’s very telling. Your bones know things your brain hasn’t figured out yet.

You could be less literal and ask yourself which idea you would pick if you only had enough time to implement one of them. A sense of urgency does wonders for one’s decision making process.

The pile of ideas might be hiding something
You may come to the uncomfortable realization that you have a head full of ideas because you’re nervous the one you’re most committed to won’t work.

Circle back around. You’ve gone into protector mode to keep your best ideas from getting damaged. The stakes just went up, so now you’re uneasy. But if the idea wasn’t good, you could throw it away without a second thought. That’s the one you feel in your bones. That’s the one you pick. No hats are necessary, no lists required.

Priorities and ideas—the bottom line
One way or another, the work has to be done. You get to choose the approach. You can make a list and stick to it with laser-like precision, or back off a little, stop overthinking it, and let the ideas pick you.

What’s your favourite way to set priorities or sort through ideas?

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