The uncomfortable way to find ideas (that works)

Some of the best ideas seem to occur almost by chance 💡

"How to find ideas" is a topic that has always had enormous relevance throughout my life.

Since dropping out of university, I've crushed my head against the nearest wall a thousand times to see if the perfect idea would come out of it.

I've also read hundreds of articles to find the successful idea that would make me stand out.

It never happened.

Yet, here I am … 10 years later, running a newsletter and talking about how to find ideas.

If I hadn't followed the strategy I'll tell you shortly, I wouldn't have accomplished anything as a creator.

Heck. You wouldn't even know me if I hadn't stopped looking for the right idea!

(I'd still be stuck banging my head against the wall.)

In the following few lines, you'll read about some significant moments from my personal experience, how I applied what I'm going to tell you about, and what enabled me to overcome the creative block.

Take this same publication as an example, which I learned what to jot down a few hours ago.

If you're into writing, you know that sitting at the desk and waiting for the right inspiration to turn an issue into a masterpiece is nerve-wracking.

But it doesn't have to be.

Like coming up with ideas shouldn’t be that hard.

Do you want to know what's the truth?

Ideas are overrated.

There are no (more) unique ideas.

Our world already abounds with ideas, making it even more challenging to find something so original that it has never been conceived before. You are either a genius or the same solution was too troublesome to realize earlier.

Yes, it sounds crippling.

But this is a good thing.

If you wait to strike the idea lottery, you are likely procrastinating and giving up on your dream. An idea will never be perfect.

The sooner you accept that, the sooner you stop worrying about not having ideas again!

Turn it around.

An idea is always flawed.

Take an idea and combine it with your vision. Your twist will be the success factor, whether it be a different pain point, another way to solve an issue, an improved process, or how you outperform something that already exists (as in better or in value/amount/load).

What if you don't have ideas at all?

Don't worry, I get it.

I've been there most of my life, looking for someone who could assist me in coming up with ideas.

Maybe creativity wasn't my thing.

Or maybe going through different questions and brainstorming is not that efficient.

Although it might work, I'm skeptical about this process.

Frustration always got all over the place and kept me postponing the dream.

Even friends told me how hard they tried (without success).

But there's a way to make ideas flow so naturally they will come at you on their own.

It's so simple you will never have to worry about not having ideas anymore.

The Maker method™ 😏

Ok, jokes aside ...

How do you transform not having ideas into clogging your notebook full of ideas?

There are days when you don't know what to do and what to work on.

Hell, you are probably doing nothing.

You're stuck.

Get out of your mind.

Magic happens when you do something.

When you're busy doing things, your synapses connect, and ideas flow in. It is as easy as it gets.

Don't you believe me?

I wasted years waiting for the right idea, stuck in an endless loop of procrastination, beating myself up because I wasn't good enough to do anything.

Then, one day, I started tweeting.

It wasn't easy at first. Handling a new platform, getting out there in public, getting seen: lots of things to take care of.

Down the road, an itch came over. Then another.

My mind told me something. They were shitty ideas, but I noted them down and kept going.

Eventually, several problems worth fixing arose (a few times already).

Think about the Database of Tweet Prompts—a collection of tweet ideas and suggestions for when you stare at the empty screen for too long.

Figuring out what to write was one of my issues back then. Nothing was available, and getting more than 1000 customers confirmed the assumption that it was a shared challenge.

If I hadn't started tweeting, this product wouldn't exist.

Scratch your own itch, they said.

It's true.

I have plenty of ideas today.

There's even a backlog of itches worth solving gathering dust on my desk.

The only problem now is what to choose and focus on. I can't build them all, LOL.

Still unsure?

Ideas don't have to become the latest unicorns in the startup world.

Ideas can (and should) be simple. They are everywhere.

Do this—let me give you an assist.

Look for other people's needs.

Open X/Twitter.

Track people's requests.

Go to the search bar and enter this advanced query:

"I'd pay a lot of money for" OR "someone please build" OR "why doesn't this exist" OR "request for product" min_faves:100

Or min_faves:50, or filter only for people you follow.

Tailor the research to your needs.

I'm not too fond of this process because you could end up loving an idea you don't 100% know how to solve or find customers. Thus, it can be a great way to get unstuck and start moving.

So here it is.

You don't have to be radical; stop seeking a unique idea.

What's your personal idea instead?

How would you twist it?

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Build in Public Bites

Being a maker does not necessarily mean being a developer.

Being a maker is about creating things to solve problems, whether writing words, recording videos, or leveraging no-code platforms to build other tools.

Sometimes, however, coding and making products overlap.

Like this past weekend.

Recently, I found a product that awakened my buried dev side and made me wanna play again with code.

A boilerplate—made by makers for makers.

(Imagine a set of modular LEGO buildings and presets that allow you to create projects faster.)

So I gave it a spin.

And I've finally been able to build an idea that has been on my backlog for years!

(It's a simple app to track expenses, but that's not the point.)

Despite my rusty dev skills, building the app took me only a few days.

The funny thing is I've always set back on crafting this idea because of all the boring stuff you must consider when coding an app.

Until ShipFast.

It felt like taking a direct elevator to the 20th floor of a building instead of climbing the stairs.

Amazing!

With this boilerplate, you can skip the groundwork and start building what matters.

That's why I'm sharing ShipFast here: it's worth my word.

Check it yourself and let me know.

This is an affiliate link from which, if you buy, I'll receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. It's not a sponsored one; I just love the product! Hope you don't mind ;)

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Feel free to reply and tell me about your take. I love chatting with people!

Until next time.

Mattia