Often I find myself thinking about goals, problems, questions or tasks I want to reach, solve, answer or find a solution to but in the end they just stay as vague thoughts in my mind and basically are very slowly or never accomplished. Easy solution, I just need to focus one of those items. But how to approach this in a methodical and efficient way?

Thats where the 20 Idea Method developed by Earl Nightingale and made popular by Brian Tracy comes in. This approach is actually very simple yet profound. You just need to know the steps and apply them.

Also if you like having your Ideas written down in good old paper, I have created a book (Idea Book on Lulu) which contains the mentioned following descriptions and gives you the space to write down your Ideas.

How the Method works:

1. Identify a specific challenge:
   Define your problem, question, task, or challenge as specific as possible. A good way to specify this item is by following the SMART rule (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound).
   
2. Generate 20 Ideas:
   Now list at least 20 unique ideas to tackle your identified challenge. Remember, the more challenging it is to come up with ideas, the more valuable and unique they become. Write every idea down without judging it or sorting it out early.
   
3. Choose the most valuable Idea:
   Reflect on the ideas you have written down and select the one that stands out as the most unique and valuable. This chosen idea becomes your beacon, guiding you towards solving the specified challenge. Try the chosen idea out as fast as possible, to keep the ball rolling.

If you experience that the chosen idea isn’t working at all, either just choose another one (you got plenty left) or repeat the process, starting with step one.

In case you want to spice up the process a bit or if you find yourself sitting there for hours trying to come up with ideas, just set yourself a timer of around 5 minutes. We all know a deadline gives us that little bit of pressure to finish what we started (more or less) in time.

Also if you even struggle with finding a problem, challenge or question in the first place for which you would list 20 ideas. Watch the following method by Brian Tracy.
Brian Tracy: If You Could Achieve One Goal in 24 Hours – YouTube

And here is another one by Brian Tracy explaining the 20 Idea Method again.
The 20 IDEA METHOD of Bryan Tracy.

Conclusion

We face challenges that may appear to complex to solve or to get your head around. But if we look at this challenge in a focused way, deal with it and light-heartedly seek solutions to it, then this seemingly unsolvable problem is put into a new light and suddenly seems solvable. So whether you’re a professional seeking solutions at work or an individual facing personal challenges, the 20 Idea Method is your tool in the journey of creative problem-solving.

Finally I found a place to state one of my favorite laws because it captures the essence of the 20 Idea method perfectly.

”When you write down a problem specifically then you already solved half of it”

Kidlin Law