Saying no. A lot.

Multi-Interest people find ourselves with many ideas and never enough time in the day. Maybe if we had servants, assistants and other professionals we might be able to get it all done. But most of the time we find ourselves saying no. A lot. To ourselves.

For a long time I thought that I had to complete every single idea that ever found it's way into my head. That's a lot of ideas. But those ideas kept coming. I wasn't even started with one idea and I'd get another one. It got to the point where I had lists for my lists and Color coded charts. And I was spending more and more time trying to find a time management system that would help me get it all done. They never worked so I'd have to find another one.

Then one day I realized that just because I have an idea doesn't mean that I have to be the one to see it through. It also doesn't mean that I was the first or only person to come up with the idea.

So I developed a new system. When I come up with an idea I write it down in a notebook. The first thing i ask myself is if this idea is in line with what I'm already working on. If it is then I determine if I have time to work on it. Then I will look it up online to see if anyone else has already had the idea. If the idea is already out there I determine if I could do it better. If I have time I will also write down some more details and thoughts about the idea.

Most ideas don't make it pass the first two steps. But since I have a conscious way of dealing with my ideas it doesn't bother me anymore that most of my ideas don't see the light of day.

Renaissance Souls might have to say no a lot. And sometimes it may seem sad when an idea doesn't make it. Saying no keeps us focused on the most important things we are working on. And it reminds us that we are not super-human and that our ideas have value. So much value, in fact, that only a select few succeed.