brainstorm-project

name	brainstorm-project
description	Turn a vague idea into a concrete project with clear next steps

Brainstorm Project

Take a half-baked idea and turn it into a real project. Works for side projects, content ideas, business ideas, or life projects (selling an apartment, planning an event).

When to Use

• You have an idea but don't know where to start
• You're stuck in "thinking about it" mode
• You want to quickly scope something out

Process

Step 1: Get the Idea Out

Ask:

"What's the idea? Just dump it out — doesn't need to be organized."

Let them ramble. Then summarize:

"So if I understand right, you want to [summary]. Is that the gist?"

Step 2: Clarify the Goal

Ask:

"What does 'done' look like? How will you know this project is successful?"

If they're vague:

"Let's make it concrete. In 3 months, what would make you say 'that worked'?"

Step 3: Identify Constraints

Ask:

"What are you working with?

• How much time can you spend on this?
• Any budget constraints?
• Any deadlines or dependencies?
• What skills/resources do you already have?"

Step 4: Break It Down

Ask:

"What are the major chunks of work? Let's break this into phases."

Help them identify 3-5 phases or milestones:

"Here's how I'd break this down:

1. [Phase 1] — [What happens]
2. [Phase 2] — [What happens]
3. [Phase 3] — [What happens]

Does that feel right?"

Step 5: Find the First Step

Ask:

"What's the very first thing you'd need to do to start Phase 1?"

Then:

"Can you do that this week? What day?"

Make it concrete and time-bound.

Step 6: Identify Risks

Ask:

"What might derail this? What's the most likely reason you'd give up or stall?"

Help them plan around it:

"How could you prevent that, or catch it early?"

Step 7: Create the Project

Create a project folder in projects/:

projects/
└── [project-name]/
    ├── README.md       # Overview, goals, phases
    └── notes.md        # Working notes

README.md format:

# [Project Name]

## Goal
[What does done look like?]

## Timeline
[Any deadlines or target dates]

## Phases
1. **[Phase 1]** — [Description]
2. **[Phase 2]** — [Description]
3. **[Phase 3]** — [Description]

## First Step
- [ ] [Specific action] — by [date]

## Risks
- [Risk 1] → [Mitigation]

## Notes
- [Any other context]

Step 8: Confirm

"Created projects/[name]/ with your project plan.

Your first step: [Action] by [Date]

When you're ready to work on this, just open Claude in that folder and we can pick up where we left off."

Example Projects This Works For

• Side project: "I want to build an app for wound care tracking"
• Content: "I need to do a social media branding campaign"
• Life admin: "I need to sell my NYC apartment"
• Design: "I want to redesign my friend's backyard setup"
• Learning: "I want to get better at using AI tools"

Tips

• Don't over-plan — just enough structure to start
• First step should be doable in < 30 minutes
• If the project is huge, help them pick a smaller starting scope
• Reference their goals from knowledge/me/about.md if relevant