How to never run out of ideas

Building a coherent world view

Everyone says creativity is about freedom.

No gate keepers. No rule makers. No rigid routines.

But in my experience, it’s the opposite. The more freedom you give yourself the less you actually create.

Every Saturday, I would sit down with one plan - to write.

No meetings. No social engagements. No obligations. Just me, my ideas, and my coffee. I was excited. Full of energy. Bubbling with ideas.

I would open my MacBook, pull up a blank pages document and …10 minutes later I’d still be sitting there…I still remember it as if it were yesterday.

I write a sentence. It feels off. I delete it. Start over. The panic rises. Nothing comes. My mind clouds. I can’t do this.

That used to be me. It was so frustrating.

I was someone who wanted to write, create and grow, but somehow I just couldn't execute. I wasn't able to realise this vision I had made for myself.

I struggled to focus, I would flit from one thing to the next, never going deep enough to see meaningful results.

And worst of all, I didn’t know why. I tried discipline, I tried brute force, I tried timers and schedulers but nothing helped.

My problem wasn’t laziness. It wasn’t a lack of motivation or even fear.

It was a lack of structure.

I had interests, but could never turn them into something deeper. Something meaningful.

Idea generation was a nightmare. Not because I had no ideas, but because I had no system for shaping them.

This isn’t something people talk about much but it’s something I have struggled with my whole life. I’ve always struggled to sustain excitement to keep that initial buzz going but I’ve since learned there is actually a process to achieve this.

We’re told to “follow our curiosity,” but that advice only works if your curiosity has somewhere to land.

I needed a way to connect the dots. A way to build a worldview out of loose unconnected ideas. Because here’s the truth:

The desire to create, paired with the inability to do so, is a uniquely painful experience.

It’s like being full of potential energy with no release valve. It’s a personalised nightmare I wouldn’t wish on anyone.

That’s why I want to introduce you to something that changed everything for me:

The Idea Tree

The Idea Tree isn’t just a content calendar or a meaningless metaphor. It’s a way to turn random interests into a coherent worldview.

It’s not about “consistent messaging” or “building a brand.” It’s about a transformation of focus, of identity, of how you think.

Through this process, you don’t just become more organised. You become a better thinker. A clearer communicator. A more intentional creator.

All this arguing about whether or not you need a “niche” or not misses the point entirely. Creativity thrives under constraints. This isn’t about narrowing yourself into a tiny corner of the internet. It’s about giving your creativity shape. A container in which to evolve and grow.

That whole idea of “The niche is you” sounds liberating…until you sit down to write and realise you have no idea where to begin. There are too many things you could say. Too many directions you could go. It’s overwhelming.

We don’t need more freedom. We need more form. We need a structure that reduces complexity and helps us focus.

That’s what the Idea Tree gives you.

A structure for the chaos in your mind

The roots and trunk are you: Your values, your personality, your lived experience. This is the foundation upon which everything else is based on. This is where you decide which personality traits should shine through. Which values are of most importance and which stories you want to share to illustrate the other two.

The three main branches are your core topics. They are the things you write about. Distinct but interconnected. Start broad and go narrow. This is something which can be refined again and again over time.

Each branch splits into subtopics that create real depth and flexibility. This is what will set you apart. Most people stay very broad and generic. Relating the same recycled stuff over and over again. To stand out go deep.

If you’re having trouble visualising this here are a few examples:

• Technology – A.I - Ethics

• Mindset – Mental Health – Slow Living

• Horticulture – Sustainability – Off-grid

• Productivity – Creativity – Personal Growth

• Relationships – Communication – Psychology

• Personal Finance – Online Business – Philosophy

• Self discipline - Spirituality - Simplicity

Why is this important? Why not just write about one thing?

For your sanity.

Writing one thing over and over gets boring, fast. By covering different domains you do not run the risk of burning out. We throw the term burnout around all the time but I don’t think we really understand what it means. Ultimately it’s not about just needing a month off or some time away…the risk is that you can never bring yourself to write or create anything ever again. That is not a risk I am willing to take.

Unique insights - Stand out from the crowd.

Bringing insights from one domain into another makes you stand out. Everyone writes about productivity. Not many tie it to creativity or mental health. Everyone talks about personal finance. Who talks about the philosophy of money? Everyone’s writing about how to become a billionaire in five minutes with A.I but who’s talking about the wider societal implications?

For your credibility.

Going deeper into topics builds trust. Not just with your readers but also with yourself. This is the way you build vague random interest into insatiable obsessions that run by themselves. No discipline, force or hacks required. It also shows you’re not just chasing trends, but building something real.

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The idea tree is a living entity

That is why I do this in notion. You can just use a piece of paper or a notebook but it is constantly changing and I find it gets very messy very quickly when done on paper.

If you need more help visualising this process or actually seeing how it works I am putting together a video workshop where I show you exactly how I do this.

Join the wait list here and in the meantime download my free notion template. This is the one I have used to create my own idea tree.

Structure is not the enemy

You don’t need more time. You don’t need more motivation.

You need a system that supports your creativity, instead of strangling it.

Structure is the foundation of creativity.

Let this be the last time you stare at a blank page, unsure of what to say.

All the best,

Benjamin