When Old Ideas Deserve New Life (Productive Flourishing Pulse #515)
Not every shelved project should stay shelved. Here's how to know when it's time to resurrect that idea you dismissed.
Just because you dismissed or dropped an idea or project in the past doesn’t mean that it’s not worth being a priority in the present.
Yes, that’s obvious, but decision inertia can be powerful. I’ve seen plenty of people and teams overlook an idea, project, or initiative simply because they decided in the past not to do it.
But here’s the thing: dismissing or dropping something in the past may have been the right thing to do based upon the conditions and priorities at the time. Putting it on deck now may be exactly the right thing to do because of current conditions and priorities.
The real work is to articulate to yourself what’s different now that makes the idea worth pushing forward.
If nothing has changed, suspicion is warranted.
If it’s a personal project, though, the fact that it’s a boomerang that keeps coming back to you that you want to do or feel called to do is enough.
If it’s a project that requires teamwork to push forward, it’s important to articulate to your team what’s changed. Teams and organizations have three counterposing habits that are relevant to mention here:
Resurrecting pet projects from yesteryear.
Increasing scope or complexity, with little reflection about how (or even if) the increased scope and complexity drive strategic progress.
Under-acknowledging increased core competencies, assets, and strategic progress.
If it’s #1 or #2, suspicion is warranted. Better to subtract than add.
If it’s #3, though, it may be that you’ve built the readiness to implement an idea that you previously would’ve been unable to do. Celebrate this and put the idea on the board, because even if you decide not to do it, the fact that you’ve built the capability to do it is worth discussing.
What idea, project, or initiative is bubbling back up for you or your team? Why’d you decide to drop or pause it? What’s changed that may make it worth putting on deck now?
Sometimes the smartest move isn’t to chase a new idea, but to reconsider an old one.
~Charlie
2026 Digital Momentum Planner Launches Next Week!
That’s right! Our beloved Momentum Planner Digital Pack, 2026 Edition, will be available next week, Tuesday, August 19. Mark your calendars, and BOLO (be on the lookout)!
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Charlie and Team Habits on the Biz Book Broadcast
I was on the Biz Book Broadcast recently, chatting with host Liz Scully about how “Coffee Matters More Than Systems for Teams.”
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As usual, perfect timing. For the last month I’ve been wrestling with a series of posts that relate to something I wrote 5 years ago. It started calling to me and when I went back I found I had a lot more to say, more nuance, more experience. A lot learned and better understood in 5 years…
The essential takeaway is that a past decision to drop an idea was a function of past circumstances, not an immutable verdict on the idea's worth. People and teams often suffer from decision inertia, preventing them from revisiting previously discarded projects. https://www.mywisely.it.com