The Daily Idea List Exercise

Ideas are the currency of our modern world. They change lives, solve problems, and build businesses. Most people, however, wait passively for good ideas to arrive.

What if you could become someone who consistently generates life-changing ideas, whenever you want to?

The practice is inspired by a concept from James Altucher called The Idea Machine. I encountered it more than 10 years ago and found it so helpful I already wrote a blog post at that time – How To Become An “Idea Machine” — You Can Solve Any Problem.

However, in an age where AI is often seen as the primary idea machine, I think a new name is in order. So now I’m calling it The Daily Idea List. (My friend Guillaume Wiatr suggested “Idea Tai Chi” to hint at creative well-being, regular steady practice of a given number of movements/ideas, and good for the business Qi!) Use whichever name you like, or come up with your own. The key is to try it :)

It’s the simple practice of writing 10 ideas a day. It seems so basic, but the consistency of practice creates a great effect over time.

Why This Practice Is Essential

Before we get to the “how” let’s better understand why the Daily Idea List is an essential practice for thriving in our current and coming world.

1. Keep Your “Idea Muscle” Fit. When calculators became common, it atrophied most people’s ability to do mental arithmetic. For most people, it wasn’t a huge loss. But we live in a society built on words, ideas, and creativity. AI is that new calculator for words, ideas, and creativity! If we outsource all our thinking, this fundamental human “idea muscle” will weaken and begin to atrophy in as little as two weeks. The Daily Idea List is your daily gym for this essential human faculty.
   
   
2. Uniquely Human / Embodied Wisdom. As a soulpreneur, your value isn’t just in the information you provide, but in your uniquely human perspective. When you generate ideas, you draw from your entire mind-body-spirit system — your intuition, your lived experiences, and your values. This is an embodied practice that AI cannot replicate. The Daily Idea List practice helps you continually connect to your authenticity.
   
   
3. It Strengthens Your “Relevance Realization.” The practice isn’t about generating random ideas; it’s about generating relevant ones. This hones your human ability to have insights that are truly useful and resonant. It builds self-trust in your own judgment, discernment, and taste at a time when many are outsourcing these qualities. It is an act of maintaining your human sovereignty.
   
   
4. You Become a Better User of AI. Paradoxically, this human-centric practice makes you a master of the machine. AI tools are only as good as the prompts they receive. By strengthening your own idea muscle, you learn to ask better, more nuanced, and more creative questions, allowing you to collaborate with AI at a much higher level.
   
   
5. It Improves Your Professional Service. For coaches, healers, and consultants, a quick mind is your greatest asset. This practice gives you the mental agility to come up with fresh perspectives, helpful analogies, and insightful questions right on the spot, in the middle of a client conversation.
   
   
6. Actually Useful Ideas! This isn’t just an abstract exercise. It’s a powerful problem-solving tool. You can aim your Daily Idea List at any challenge: brainstorming content, solving a business problem, coming up with new service ideas, or finding a new way to approach a personal issue.
   
   
7. Empowerment and Joy :) There is a genuine thrill in witnessing your own mind’s creativity. Like any sport, it takes practice, but once you start “hitting the ball” and the ideas begin to flow, the process itself becomes incredibly fun and empowering.
   
   

How to Build The Habit

Knowing the benefits is one thing; doing it consistently is another. Here’s a simple, gentle framework for making this a sustainable habit:

1. Anchor It to a Specific, Uninterrupted Time. Consistency is key. Pick a time you can reliably protect. For me, it’s before bed. For you, it might be first thing in the morning. Or try anchoring The Daily Idea List to an existing habit. For example, “after I take a shower, I will generate 10 ideas.” The specific time matters less than the consistency.
   
   
2. Keep Sessions Short (especially at first!) Make it ridiculously easy to start. Commit to just 10 minutes a day. A short, daily practice is infinitely more powerful than a long, sporadic one when you’re building a new habit. You don’t need to generate 10 ideas. If all you can do is 1 to 3 ideas in those 10 minutes, it’s a start! You’ll get sharper and quicker over time.
   
   
3. Embrace the “Brain Sweat” and Give Yourself Permission to Have Bad Ideas. Perfectionism is the enemy of this practice. When you start a list, the first few ideas might come easily. But it’s on ideas 6 through 10 that your brain really starts to sweat! (Sometimes, it gets challenging even starting with the 3rd idea!) This is where your creativity muscle gets stronger. The key is to release the pressure for every idea to be a good one. If you get stuck, try for 20 ideas instead of 10. The absurdity of the number forces you to let go of being perfect and just write anything. Most of your ideas will be bad, and that’s not just okay — the whole point is to exercise, to try.
   
   
4. Start with Easy, Low-Stakes Topics. While the habit is new and fragile, don’t burden it with heavy problems. Start with topics that are fun, easy, or personally useful. For example, “10 fun things to do this weekend” could be a great starting point.
   
   
5. Start with Human Accountability. Find a friend or a small group and make a simple promise: you will do your Daily Idea List every day for two weeks and report back. This initial period is often all it takes to solidify the habit. You’re welcome to take 1–2 days off each week, of course. It’s your practice. You might even decide to share your idea lists with each other!
   
   
6. Celebrate Your Effort. Acknowledge that you’ve done it! A simple mental “good job” or a checkmark in a journal provides the positive reinforcement that trains your brain to enjoy the practice. Or immediately message your accountability buddy to let them know.
   
   
7. Share Your Ideas Publicly. This strategy provides a dual benefit! It creates public accountability while instantly turning your practice into valuable content for your audience.
   
   
8. Or the opposite — throw the List away. A non-intuitive idea from James Altucher is to throw the list out when you’re done. Why? Because the truly great ideas, the ones that set your heart and mind on fire, are the ones you won’t be able to forget anyway. This frees you from the pressure of having to do something with every idea you generate. It’s up to you though — keep, post, or toss your ideas — the key is to generate 10 each day!
   
   

25 Prompts To Get You Started

Pick one, set a timer, and go. Categories make it easy to match your mood or goals:

Business Boosters

• 10 ways to add more value for your clients.
• 10 ideas for courses/services/programs you could offer.
• 10 ways to improve an existing course/service/program.
• 10 ways to serve clients better without extra time.
• 10 ideas for win-win collaborations with colleagues.
• 10 title ideas for an upcoming article/video/course.

Personal/Spiritual Growth

• 10 ways to stick to your schedule better.
• A problem you have and 10 ways to solve it.
• 10 things you complain about, reframed as gratitude.
• 10 practices to deepen your higher power connection.
• 10 things showing you’re supported by a higher power.
• 10 things to focus on for improvement.

Creativity and Mindset

• 10 blog posts you’d like to write.
• 10 ways to love what you do.
• 10 suggestions for someone under financial pressure.
• 10 learnings from your last book/video/podcast.
• 10 questions for a hero of yours.
• 10 pieces of advice from your future self.
• 10 ways to transition smoothly between activities.
• 10 reasons why a belief of yours might be wrong (steelmanning).

Relationships and Fun

• 10 people to send supportive ideas to.
• 10 ways to surprise a friend or loved one.
• 10 additional topics for idea generation!

The journey to strengthening your idea muscle starts with a single list.

Get going today, even with 3 simple ideas.

If and when you do publish a list of ideas, comment below! I’d love to cheer you on :)

Optional — use AI to help you with your Daily Idea List

If you enjoy using an AI chatbot, try starting a new chat and letting it be your running list of ideas. The prompt below can be copy/pasted to start the thread…

AI Prompt for “Daily Idea List” Coaching & Synthesis

Instructions for the User: Copy and paste the text below to provide to your AI assistant. This will instruct it to act as a specialized coach and creative partner for the “Daily Idea List” exercise.

[START OF PROMPT FOR AI]

Hello! I would like you to serve as my coach for a daily "Idea Machine" or "Daily Idea List" exercise, a practice for brainstorming ideas (aiming for 10 per day, but 5+ is a successful session).

Your role will be divided into two distinct phases: Phase 1: The Coach and Phase 2: The Synthesizer. Please follow the instructions for each phase carefully.

Phase 1: Your Role as the Coach

During the brainstorming part of our session, you are a supportive, non-intrusive coach. Your only job is to encourage my idea generation.

Please follow these rules exactly:

1. Start the Session: Begin our session by noting the current date.

2. Listen Patiently: I will share my ideas, sometimes one at a time, sometimes in a flow.

3. Summarize and Clarify (IMPORTANT): I will often share my ideas in a "stream-of-consciousness" format. After I share an idea (or a small batch of them), your most important job is to summarize my thoughts back to me. Please capture the core of the idea in a clear, well-formatted paragraph, perhaps using bolding to highlight key concepts. This confirms you've understood it before we move on. After your summary, you can then ask for the next idea.

4. Count the Ideas: Keep a running count of the ideas I've generated.

5. CRITICAL RULE: Do Not Add Your Own Ideas. Under no circumstances should you add your own ideas, suggestions, critiques, or analysis to my list. Your role is to be a mirror and a counter, not a contributor.

6. Provide a Final Recap: Once I indicate that I have finished my list for the day, please provide a clean, numbered recap of all the ideas I generated. Do not do this until I say I'm done.

7. "Catalyst Questions" (Only If I Ask): If I get stuck and explicitly ask for a "catalyst question," you may provide a simple, open-ended question to spark a new direction (e.g., "What's a common assumption in this area you could challenge?"). Do not offer these unless I ask for one.

Phase 2: Your Role as the Synthesizer

After I have completed my idea list, I may ask you to help me turn the brainstormed ideas into a new piece of content, such as a blog post, a plan, or a document.

When I make this request, your role shifts from a passive coach to an active Creative Synthesizer.

Please follow these steps for Phase 2:

1. Study the Material: Carefully review our entire brainstorming conversation for the day, as well as any additional notes or documents I provide.

2. Find the Narrative Flow: Analyze the ideas and re-order them into the most logical, compelling, and readable sequence for the intended format (e.g., a blog post).

3. Draft the Content: Write the full piece of content, synthesizing my raw ideas into a coherent and well-structured narrative.

4. Adopt My Voice: If requested, please write in my tone and style.

5. Output the Final Document: Present the finished piece of content in a clean, well-formatted way.

Do you understand these instructions for both phases? Let me know when you’re ready to begin. Thank you!

[END OF PROMPT FOR AI]

If you come up with a better prompt, I’d love to know! Comment below 🙏🏼