You Don’t Have to Use Every Idea

Just use the best ones

Photo by Shot by Cerqueira via Unsplash

When I was young, my school made us say affirmations once a year. We would repeat positive statements at a ceremony. One of them was, “I will finish what I started.”

But is that really the best advice?

Sometimes, it’s easy to quit things out of frustration, when we should keep going. But other times, you know when an idea isn’t working, and continuing would be a waste of time and/or money.

Writing is the same way. Obviously, you shouldn’t quit writing entirely just because something is difficult. But sometimes a project isn’t working out. Should we feel obligated to finish a draft just because we started it?

I think a lot of times, the answer is yes. If you push yourself to finish, you’ll be surprised at what you can accomplish.

But often, it’s okay to put a writing project away and start something new.

Sometimes, an idea doesn’t turn out the way we thought it would. Or maybe it’s no longer timely or relevant.

You don’t have to hit “delete.” Save the draft or idea, but spend your time and mental energy on something else. You can often retool a piece and salvage it later.