Quick wins and giving structure to fuzzy ideas

Here I am again after a nearly 4 month hiatus.

I generally come back to write if I have something to say.. there are usually many things, but 1 consolidated BIG idea stands out that compels me to share it. The idea has consolidated in my head over time and I know more or less what it is that I want to say. So its just a matter of writing it down, and it is not so hard. Once it is done, I go back to the world of fuzzy ideas and unclear thoughts. Occasionally I think of writing something but I need to consolidate first and the extra step creates enough inertia that I dont write anything till my next BIG idea moment. 

Would it be a good idea to force myself to consolidate these fuzzy ideas on a regular basis? I dont know. Sometimes these ideas take time.. they need time to develop and really strike home. Sometimes they need more information or a trigger event to fully form. Prematurely consolidating it, might not allow me realize the ultimate lesson that bubbles out.

What I know to be true is that writing down an idea helps consolidate it. I have been experiencing it repeatedly. Whenever I come to a point where my thought process is unclear, I draft someone an email or write it down on notepad or draw it out on paper. What is important to note here is that I dont try to solve the problem. I just look to define the problem, as clearly as possible in written form. But more often than not, the solution pops out by itself.

Another little thing I observed ( I have been studying for CFA these days) is that I find it easier to continue from where I left off previously if there is a quick win in sight. So, instead of finish a day’s study at the end of a section, I finish 1 or 2 pages before the end of a section.

With those learnings in mind, I have done 2 things different today.

1. I didnt write about my compelling BIG idea. So I still have a quick win in sight. ( I have also created a doc with some fuzzy ideas so the wins after that are also somewhat easier. )

2. Instead, I just penned down what started out as a fuzzy idea in my mind… in the process, it got consolidated it into 2 definite learnings.

( Recursion, ftw! ;) )

Let us see how this works out!