1 00:00:03,480 --> 00:00:09,600 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning, 2 00:00:11,039 --> 00:00:16,920 Speaker 1: This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's 3 00:00:16,920 --> 00:00:22,960 Speaker 1: tip is to let your ideas ripen. Sometimes ideas are 4 00:00:23,000 --> 00:00:26,680 Speaker 1: ready right now, but sometimes they need to wait for 5 00:00:26,720 --> 00:00:30,560 Speaker 1: a better time. It might be wise to keep watch 6 00:00:30,880 --> 00:00:35,440 Speaker 1: on those ripening ideas so you can revisit them when 7 00:00:35,479 --> 00:00:40,160 Speaker 1: the time is right. Today's tip, like some others this week, 8 00:00:40,640 --> 00:00:45,080 Speaker 1: comes from Scott H. Young's new book, Get Better at Anything. 9 00:00:46,200 --> 00:00:50,599 Speaker 1: This book shares strategies for how people actually learn and improve. 10 00:00:52,280 --> 00:00:57,200 Speaker 1: Young notes that while some ideas are immediately usable, others 11 00:00:57,240 --> 00:01:01,440 Speaker 1: are missing key components. One inventor may be stuck on 12 00:01:01,480 --> 00:01:04,560 Speaker 1: a technical problem for which there is no current solution. 13 00:01:06,040 --> 00:01:08,840 Speaker 1: A novelist might have a great idea for a character, 14 00:01:09,880 --> 00:01:13,520 Speaker 1: but no equally compelling plot to match the character with 15 00:01:15,000 --> 00:01:19,080 Speaker 1: What does one do with all of this? Young writes 16 00:01:19,080 --> 00:01:22,640 Speaker 1: that while the celebrated image of creative genius often focuses 17 00:01:22,680 --> 00:01:27,240 Speaker 1: on persistence through difficult projects, it's equally the case that 18 00:01:27,319 --> 00:01:31,400 Speaker 1: successful creatives manage to avoid problems that are not ripe 19 00:01:31,480 --> 00:01:35,840 Speaker 1: for discovery. Now. Of course, the real breakthrough ideas often 20 00:01:35,880 --> 00:01:39,760 Speaker 1: happen when something new develops and suddenly the time is right. 21 00:01:40,920 --> 00:01:46,920 Speaker 1: Thomas Edison, for instance, was often pursuing multiple invention projects simultaneously. 22 00:01:48,040 --> 00:01:50,480 Speaker 1: That way, he was able to switch back and forth 23 00:01:50,840 --> 00:01:54,600 Speaker 1: when he was stumped on one. He was also able 24 00:01:54,640 --> 00:01:59,160 Speaker 1: to take advantage of chance discoveries if a new possibility 25 00:01:59,240 --> 00:02:04,000 Speaker 1: turned up that shed light on something that was previously obscure. 26 00:02:05,480 --> 00:02:10,359 Speaker 1: Young notes that many authors maintain extensive notes on potential stories, 27 00:02:11,240 --> 00:02:14,560 Speaker 1: waiting until a sufficient number of pieces have assembled in 28 00:02:14,560 --> 00:02:19,359 Speaker 1: the background before doggedly pursuing the work. While it may 29 00:02:19,400 --> 00:02:24,720 Speaker 1: be impossible to anticipate creative solutions, it is often possible 30 00:02:24,720 --> 00:02:28,080 Speaker 1: to see how large the gaps are that separate the 31 00:02:28,120 --> 00:02:31,680 Speaker 1: current reservoir of knowledge and what would be needed for 32 00:02:31,800 --> 00:02:36,120 Speaker 1: a solution. I like this idea of having a file 33 00:02:36,200 --> 00:02:40,720 Speaker 1: of ideas that are just ripening. There are all kinds 34 00:02:40,760 --> 00:02:44,079 Speaker 1: of fields where things are great ideas, they just aren't 35 00:02:44,240 --> 00:02:49,400 Speaker 1: great ideas. Write this particular minute. That brilliant marketing idea 36 00:02:49,480 --> 00:02:53,200 Speaker 1: won't sell anything your company is currently selling, but it 37 00:02:53,200 --> 00:02:56,040 Speaker 1: will be perfect for a product that will be launched 38 00:02:56,480 --> 00:02:59,800 Speaker 1: two years from now. You don't know what that product is, 39 00:03:01,200 --> 00:03:04,440 Speaker 1: but you file away that idea and you are ready 40 00:03:04,440 --> 00:03:09,160 Speaker 1: to suggest it at the perfect time. Years ago, I 41 00:03:09,200 --> 00:03:12,959 Speaker 1: wrote a National Novel Writing Month novel about a few 42 00:03:13,040 --> 00:03:18,760 Speaker 1: characters named Juliet, Riley, and Skip who had descended on 43 00:03:18,840 --> 00:03:24,280 Speaker 1: a particular location on the Jersey Shore. The story was terrible, 44 00:03:25,280 --> 00:03:28,720 Speaker 1: but I saved the manuscript. And then when my publisher 45 00:03:28,760 --> 00:03:34,280 Speaker 1: asked me to pitch a time management fable idea, Juliet, Riley, 46 00:03:34,920 --> 00:03:38,280 Speaker 1: Skip and their location got dug back out of the 47 00:03:38,360 --> 00:03:42,040 Speaker 1: ripening file and matched with a new plot that I 48 00:03:42,080 --> 00:03:48,000 Speaker 1: came up with. Juliette's School of Possibilities almost wrote itself 49 00:03:48,680 --> 00:03:53,760 Speaker 1: at that point, So keep coming up with lots of ideas. 50 00:03:54,280 --> 00:03:57,720 Speaker 1: Don't delete or dismiss them just because you can't see 51 00:03:57,760 --> 00:04:01,000 Speaker 1: what they will be good for now. The future will 52 00:04:01,000 --> 00:04:06,160 Speaker 1: bring all sorts of interesting possibilities. When you let ideas ripen, 53 00:04:07,360 --> 00:04:14,240 Speaker 1: you will probably be ready. In the meantime. This is Laura. 54 00:04:15,080 --> 00:04:19,760 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of 55 00:04:19,800 --> 00:04:29,880 Speaker 1: our time. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast. If you've 56 00:04:29,920 --> 00:04:34,080 Speaker 1: got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach me at 57 00:04:34,160 --> 00:04:43,200 Speaker 1: Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast is a 58 00:04:43,200 --> 00:04:48,000 Speaker 1: production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia, please visit 59 00:04:48,000 --> 00:04:51,839 Speaker 1: the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to 60 00:04:51,839 --> 00:05:02,880 Speaker 1: your favorite shows.