We’re two months into 2016 and I’m finding myself in the midst of idea overload. It feels like every other day I come up with some awesome new idea for a feature script, short, pilot, or some other project. It’s getting a little bit crazy.

I have a few ways I’m dealing with this. First of all, I have a spreadsheet for keeping track of all of my screenplay ideas. It lists the title, format, genre, where I have the file(s) (I work in Google Docs, Celtx, and sometimes Adobe Story, so there are multiple places I might be storing a script), the stage I’m in (notes, in progress, draft, etc.), and any notes I want to leave myself. I also have these listed in order of priority, with color-coded sections to  keep things even more organized.

I also keep an idea file in Google Docs that I add to when I get an idea for pretty much anything. Some of those I immediately start fleshing out, while others I just let sit in the file until I someday feel compelled to write them.

But here’s my current tally, project-wise:

7 scripts in various drafts (one is basically locked, I’m just doing a final polish)
9 in-progress scripts  (these all have at least a few scenes written, but have gotten sidelined for various reasons)
5 with detailed notes, beyond just those in my “idea file”
And of course there are the 12 completed scripts I have (including one sold and one produced)

One of the biggest things right now is that I have a feature about to go into pre-production, plus a short that I may be putting into pre very soon (that one will be finished before I get into the real meat of the feature, thankfully).

Staying organized is a key thing for me when it comes to being creative. If I don’t list and prioritize, then I end up pulled in a million different directions, and never get anything done. By being more methodical, I can get a lot more done and stop wasting time.