Planning and Organizing Your Ideas

[TheDPQ]

So how do you do it? Are you a whirlwind of change, just blazing through concept and planning and going straight to the action? Are you writing down concepts, taking them and building them into details ideas, getting feedback and doing tests and then finally launching it.

How much time do you spend on planning and you do you get it done?

I tend to think/talk about things for a long time, then one day i'll suddenly just do it in a big whirlwind. I'm not very organized, just when something pops into my head i'll think about it and talk about it. Once i talk about it enough i guess i get some half-ass plan in my head and just do it.

I usually start by having some vague notion (and let me tell you... they are pretty vague) on what i want done. Then comes the babble. Lots of babble with users and staff and trying to define an actual concept. Then more babble and seaching vb.org maybe to see if relates to anything anyone else has one. Then i usually write some random notes and try to define wtf i'm thinking.

I'm trying to be more organized, and get a 'master plan' going. Actually identifying the stages it needs to go in, and a vague timeline on it. I keep confusing my staff but having random seemingly pointless babble then just bombarding them with ideas and random outlines that only make sense to me. :D

[SoftWareRevue]

So how do you do it?

I usually sit on the swing outside with a notepad and jot stuff down.

Then I ask those whose opinions I value questions that aren't necessarily what I want. But based on that theme.

Then I go back outside and scribble some more.

If this involves a forum, I'll present what I want (in as little detail as possible) and expand on that as questions arise. I don't like to get others bogged down with exactly what I want. I just like to present a general idea.

Because I could be way off. And their expanded ideas may be much better than mine.

Once everything's pointed in the same direction, it goes to discussing if this is best for this community.

I'm not about to initiate something based on >50% recommendation. It would have to be pretty close to 100%.

[TheDPQ]

Are you consistant?

I'm finding that i switch between super organized posts (complete with index post to reference everything) to just pure babble thread. I think i don't get great results even from being organized because i'm not consistant in how i present my ideas.

I tend to scribble too. Its actually organizing these random ideas and vague notions on where i want to take my forum that i started this post. I'm having an issue deciding how to present it all to my staff.

[SoftWareRevue]

I think I'm pretty consistent in presenting just a basic idea. ;)

And, you may be onto something if you jump between babble and indexed presentations. Communication, however you choose to present it, should have some degree of consistency to it.

[TheDPQ]

Well i do know how to do the babble. Here is a reenactment of my amazing administration planning

*Blank Look On Face*
*Bombards inspecting staff member on AIM with random questions*
*Blank Look On Face*
*More Babbly on Skype*
*Blank Look On Face*
*Does some long post, and everyone is confused because they had no idea wtf she on and didn't realize that every 3rd question was related*

Happiness

Ta-Da

I'm going to try doing spreadsheets and list as a reference now. Use the index to visually represent the 'master plan' then try to break it down.

*edits a typo*