Decompose an Idea into Actionable Pieces
Works with idea.log. Get it on the App Store.
When to Use
- An idea feels too big or vague to start working on
- You want to turn a project-sized idea into a series of concrete tasks
- An idea has been sitting in "Pending" (see the shared status reference) because the scope is intimidating
- You want to make incremental progress on a large concept
How It Works
- User specifies which idea to decompose (by name or search term)
- Find the idea with
search_ideas and fetch details with get_idea
- Analyze the idea's scope, description, comments, and tags
- Break it into 3-7 smaller, independent sub-ideas
- Confirm the decomposition with the user
- Create each sub-idea with
create_idea, inheriting relevant tags and adding a reference to the parent
- Update the parent idea with
update_idea to note it's been decomposed
- Add a comment to the parent with
add_comment listing the sub-ideas
Decomposition Principles
Good Sub-Ideas
- Independent — Each can be worked on without completing the others first
- Specific — Clear enough that you know when it's done
- Small — Completable in one focused session (1-4 hours)
- Has a first step — Every sub-idea gets a concrete first action
Decomposition Patterns
| Parent Idea Type |
Decomposition Strategy |
| App or tool |
Split by feature or component (auth, UI, data layer, CLI) |
| Blog post or content |
Split by section or research task |
| Learning goal |
Split by topic or milestone |
| Refactor |
Split by module or system boundary |
| Experiment |
Split into hypothesis, setup, execution, analysis |
Example
Input:
Break down my "personal finance dashboard" idea
Actions:
1. Found idea: "Build a personal finance dashboard"
Tags: app, web, multi-week
First step: none
Comments: "Should pull from bank APIs and show spending trends"
2. Proposed decomposition:
a) "Finance dashboard: Research bank/financial data APIs"
First step: "List 3 aggregation APIs (Plaid, Yodlee, MX) and compare pricing"
Tags: app, web, research
b) "Finance dashboard: Design data model for transactions"
First step: "Draft schema for accounts, transactions, and categories"
Tags: app, web, data
c) "Finance dashboard: Build transaction import pipeline"
First step: "Set up a Plaid sandbox account and fetch sample transactions"
Tags: app, web, api
d) "Finance dashboard: Create spending category visualization"
First step: "Pick a charting library and render a sample pie chart with mock data"
Tags: app, web, design
e) "Finance dashboard: Build monthly trend view"
First step: "Aggregate sample transactions by month and render a line chart"
Tags: app, web, design
3. User confirmed. Created 5 sub-ideas.
4. Updated parent idea: "Decomposed into 5 sub-ideas — see comments"
5. Added comment to parent listing all sub-ideas with their first steps
Checklist
Idea Decomposition:
- [ ] Found and reviewed the target idea
- [ ] Analyzed scope and identified natural boundaries
- [ ] Created 3-7 independent sub-ideas
- [ ] Each sub-idea has a first step and tags
- [ ] Confirmed decomposition with user
- [ ] Updated parent idea with decomposition note
- [ ] Added comment linking to all sub-ideas
Learn More
1---2name: idea-decomposition3description: Breaks a large or complex idea into smaller, actionable sub-ideas, each with their own first steps and tags. Creates the sub-ideas in idea.log and links them back to the parent. Use when an idea feels too big to start.4---56# Decompose an Idea into Actionable Pieces78> Works with [idea.log](https://heltonlabs.com/idealog). [Get it on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/idea-log/id6755640991).910## When to Use1112- An idea feels too big or vague to start working on13- You want to turn a project-sized idea into a series of concrete tasks14- An idea has been sitting in "Pending" (see the [shared status reference](../REFERENCE.md)) because the scope is intimidating15- You want to make incremental progress on a large concept1617## How It Works18191. User specifies which idea to decompose (by name or search term)202. Find the idea with `search_ideas` and fetch details with `get_idea`213. Analyze the idea's scope, description, comments, and tags224. Break it into 3-7 smaller, independent sub-ideas235. Confirm the decomposition with the user246. Create each sub-idea with `create_idea`, inheriting relevant tags and adding a reference to the parent257. Update the parent idea with `update_idea` to note it's been decomposed268. Add a comment to the parent with `add_comment` listing the sub-ideas2728## Decomposition Principles2930### Good Sub-Ideas3132- **Independent** — Each can be worked on without completing the others first33- **Specific** — Clear enough that you know when it's done34- **Small** — Completable in one focused session (1-4 hours)35- **Has a first step** — Every sub-idea gets a concrete first action3637### Decomposition Patterns3839| Parent Idea Type | Decomposition Strategy |40|-----------------|----------------------|41| App or tool | Split by feature or component (auth, UI, data layer, CLI) |42| Blog post or content | Split by section or research task |43| Learning goal | Split by topic or milestone |44| Refactor | Split by module or system boundary |45| Experiment | Split into hypothesis, setup, execution, analysis |4647## Example4849**Input:**50```51Break down my "personal finance dashboard" idea52```5354**Actions:**55```561. Found idea: "Build a personal finance dashboard"57 Tags: app, web, multi-week58 First step: none59 Comments: "Should pull from bank APIs and show spending trends"60612. Proposed decomposition:6263 a) "Finance dashboard: Research bank/financial data APIs"64 First step: "List 3 aggregation APIs (Plaid, Yodlee, MX) and compare pricing"65 Tags: app, web, research6667 b) "Finance dashboard: Design data model for transactions"68 First step: "Draft schema for accounts, transactions, and categories"69 Tags: app, web, data7071 c) "Finance dashboard: Build transaction import pipeline"72 First step: "Set up a Plaid sandbox account and fetch sample transactions"73 Tags: app, web, api7475 d) "Finance dashboard: Create spending category visualization"76 First step: "Pick a charting library and render a sample pie chart with mock data"77 Tags: app, web, design7879 e) "Finance dashboard: Build monthly trend view"80 First step: "Aggregate sample transactions by month and render a line chart"81 Tags: app, web, design82833. User confirmed. Created 5 sub-ideas.844. Updated parent idea: "Decomposed into 5 sub-ideas — see comments"855. Added comment to parent listing all sub-ideas with their first steps86```8788## Checklist8990```91Idea Decomposition:92- [ ] Found and reviewed the target idea93- [ ] Analyzed scope and identified natural boundaries94- [ ] Created 3-7 independent sub-ideas95- [ ] Each sub-idea has a first step and tags96- [ ] Confirmed decomposition with user97- [ ] Updated parent idea with decomposition note98- [ ] Added comment linking to all sub-ideas99```100101## Learn More102103- [idea.log on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/idea-log/id6755640991)104- [idea.log — Product Page](https://heltonlabs.com/idealog)105- [idea.log Now Has an MCP Server](https://mcginniscommawill.com/posts/2026-04-05-idealog-mcp-server/)106- [Share Ideas Between idea.log Users](https://mcginniscommawill.com/posts/2026-04-05-idealog-idea-sharing/)
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