Think with AI · Guide 9 of 12
Filtering Ideas Like a Pro
Having 20 ideas is useless unless you can pick the right one.
After This Guide, You Will Be Able To
Evaluate a list of AI-generated ideas using a simple framework and select one to move forward with.
Why This Matters
You now know how to generate 20 ideas fast. The new problem: too many options leads to the same paralysis as too few. You end up equally stuck, just with more tabs open.
The difference between people who generate ideas and people who execute them is not energy or motivation. It is having a clear, fast method for evaluation. Without a framework, you default to picking the most familiar or least scary idea — which is not the same as the best one.
This guide gives you a 3-dimension framework that makes the right choice obvious.
Core Concept — The 3-Dimension Filter
Ease
1 = Hard to start with what I have right now · 3 = Easy to start
How much time, money, skill, and setup does this require? An idea that requires ₱50,000 to start is very different from one you can test with ₱500 this week.
Impact
1 = Small impact on my goal · 3 = Big impact
How much does this idea move you toward what you actually want? A high-effort idea that barely moves the needle is worse than a simpler idea with real upside.
Fit
1 = Poor fit for my skills and situation · 3 = Perfect fit
Does this match who you are — your skills, your personality, your available time, your existing relationships? You can do anything. You will only sustain something that fits.
How to Use the Scores
Rate each idea 1-3 on each dimension. Add the three scores. The idea with the highest total (max 9) gets your first experiment — not your permanent commitment. An experiment. One test, with a defined endpoint.
Interactive Exercise
About 8 minutes · ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini
Take your top 5 ideas from Guide 8 (or generate a list now if you have not). List them below the prompt and ask AI to score them.
Prompt
Here are my top 5 ideas: [list]. Score each one from 1-3 on: Ease (1=hard, 3=easy to start), Impact (1=small, 3=big), and Fit (1=poor fit, 3=perfect fit for my skills and situation). Then tell me which one I should try first and why.
For AI to score Fit accurately, tell it about yourself — your skills, available time, current situation. The more context it has, the more accurate the scoring.
Did the framework confirm your gut feeling — or did it surprise you? If you disagreed with the top-scoring idea, what does that tell you about what you are actually optimizing for?
Key Takeaways
The 3-dimension filter — Ease, Impact, Fit — makes idea selection fast and defensible instead of gut-driven and random.
The highest-scoring idea gets your first experiment, not your permanent commitment. Test before you invest.
If you disagree with the top scorer, that disagreement is useful data. It tells you which dimension matters most to you right now.
Giving AI context about yourself is what makes the Fit dimension accurate. The more it knows about your situation, the better it filters.
Run your top-scoring idea as a 7-day experiment.
Commit to testing your highest-scoring idea for exactly 7 days. Not forever — just 7 days. At the end, ask AI to help you evaluate what you learned. Then decide: continue, pivot, or stop.
What's Next
How We Actually Make Decisions
Think with AI · Guide 10 of 12 · Intermediate · 10 min