S is for : Simple Ideas for Problem Solving

Thinking of A to Z posts for both of my blogs is always hard for me to do. This year, I really wanted to keep my posts somewhat shorter than usual and have them require less research to write. I did some brainstorming and came up with several simple ideas for each blog.

Theme Ideas for Heather Erickson Author/Writer/Speaker:

• Heroes and Zeros: Writing Great Characters
• Novel Ideas: How to Write a Great Novel
• No Nonsense Nonfiction: How to Write a Great Nonfiction Book
• Your Personal Narrative: Memoir in Motion

Cool titles, huh? I saved them for next year. Instead, I decided to use the simple ideas I got doing Brainsparker’s Kickstart email course. Even after making the decision, (in fact, just tonight) I vacillated back and forth between starting over with a new topic or not. In the end, I decided to go with it.

For Facing Cancer with Grace I had these 3 simple ideas:

• Helping a Friend who has Cancer (Simple since I already wrote the book.)
• When a Parent has Cancer (Another book I published)
• How to Avoid Burnout even in Crisis

I chose to write about avoiding burnout. It was supposed to include a bit of my personal journey as a caregiver prone to burnout. I don’t know how successful I was at that, but I did share some great tips for keeping life on Sane Lane rather than Burnout Boulevard.

Sticky Notes

As I went through my ideas, I used an app called Sticky Notes. It’s free in the Microsoft App Store. You can keep them on your desktop or keep them minimized and call them up whenever you need them.

 

By brainstorming and using something as basic as a pad of sticky notes (analog or digital), you can get to the heart of whatever problem you are trying to solve.

The A to Z Blogging Challenge

I’m doing double duty this month during the A to Z Blogging Challenge. Here at Heather Erickson Author/Writer/Speaker, I will share ideas for “Thinking Creatively.” I’ll also be doing the challenge at Facing Cancer with Grace, where I will focus on “Avoiding Burnout.” I hope you’ll visit me at both sites. While you’re here, sign up for my email list. Today’s post is S is for Simple Ideas for Problem Solving

Skype

The brand name “Skype” comes from an abbreviation of “sky peer-to-peer.” And this describes the essence of the Skype service which hasn’t changed much since launching in 2003. With this simple idea, Skype has gone on to attract over 660 million users worldwide. Take a challenge you’re facing and boil it down to the absolute essence. What is at the heart of the problem? Brainstorm ideas around that. And keep your ideas simple too.

How do you sift through simple ideas to get to a usable solution? Share below.

What Are YOUR Thoughts?

I’d love to hear in the comment section, below. I appreciate my readers as well as the writing community. To show that appreciation, I use Comment Luv. Just leave a comment below and your latest post will get a link next to it. Thank you!

About Heather Erickson

I am an author, writer, and speaker and homeschooling mom of 3. Since doctors diagnosed my husband, Dan with stage IV lung cancer in 2012, I’ve focused my writing and speaking on helping cancer patients and their families advocate for themselves and live life to the fullest, in spite of their illness. My goal is to help people face cancer with grace. My books are available at Amazon.com:

The Memory Maker’s Journal 

Facing Cancer as a Friend: How to Support Someone Who Has Cancer

Facing Cancer as a Parent: Helping Your Children Cope with Your Cancer

I also blog about living with cancer at Facing Cancer with Grace.