The Boring AI App That Turned Into 5 Ideas
If you're waiting for the perfect idea before you start your next project, you could be waiting a very long time. Here's something I've learned the hard way: the best ideas don't appear on a blank page. They show up once you've already made a start, and honestly, you can use the most boring starting point imaginable to get there.
Why Waiting for the Big Idea Doesn't Work
I don't know about you, but I've spent way too many hours staring at a blank screen, willing a brilliant concept to materialise. We assume ideas need to be forced. That you have to sit down, brainstorm hard, and wait until something good appears.
Sometimes that works. But more often? The best ideas turn up when you're not expecting them. While you're busy doing something else entirely. That's because your brain keeps working on a problem in the background, even when you're not actively trying to solve it.
After 25 years as a freelance graphic designer, I saw this happen over and over. I'd agonise over a logo concept at my desk, get nowhere, then have the answer pop into my head while making a cup of tea. Your subconscious is doing more heavy lifting than you realise.
How a To-Do App Gave Me 5 New Ideas
That's exactly what happened to me recently. I've set myself a challenge to build an app a month using AI tools. One of those apps was a to-do app. Yes, a to-do app. I know there are hundreds of them already. Hardly groundbreaking.
But I wanted mine to be a little different, and it was really just for me. I didn't think there was any monetary potential in it at all.
Then something happened. I was working on the designs, moving elements around the screen, and one idea just popped into my head. I wrote it down. And that seemed to trigger another. Then another. Five ideas in total, and none of them came from me sitting there trying to brainstorm. They came from part of my brain focusing on the design work while, unknown to me, my subconscious was off doing its own thing.
If I'd waited for the "right" idea before starting, I'd still be waiting. Those five ideas only existed because I started with something boring.
How Do You Get Better Ideas? Just Start.
So if you've got something you've been putting off because the idea doesn't feel good enough or fully formed yet, just start. Pick something. Anything. Begin.
You don't need to know where it's going. As you work, new ideas develop naturally. Your brain can't help it. Start with whatever small, scrappy version of the idea you've got, and let the rest evolve as you go.
This is especially true if you're using AI to build things. The barrier to starting is so much lower now. You don't need to invest weeks before you find out whether the idea has legs. Make the rough version, see what your brain comes up with along the way, and go from there.
I wish I'd understood this properly back when I was freelancing. I spent so long trying to have the idea before doing the work. Turns out the work is how you get the idea.
FAQ
What's the best way to come up with creative ideas?
Start working on something, even if it feels too simple or unoriginal. Your brain generates better ideas when it's actively engaged in a task rather than trying to brainstorm from scratch.
What is an app a month challenge?
It's a personal challenge where you commit to building one complete app each month, usually using AI tools to speed up the process. The goal is to practise building, learn by doing, and let ideas develop naturally through the work.
Do I need a fully formed idea before starting a project?
No. Starting with a rough or even boring idea is often better than waiting for a perfect one. New, better ideas tend to emerge once you're already working.
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