Totally agree with the first point, being in the Architectural field, and doing designs, my main way of getting things done quickly is to VISUALIZE the End Product. I usually try to work everything out in my head before I even switch on the PC. For me the PC is just a tool to materialize what I already have in my head. ...... (only problem is that everyone else around me, is stuck in their way of wanting to do concept drawing..... after concept drawing..... after....) and when they ask me where my concept sketches is,...I'm like

 

Absolutely right my friend!
I do the same thing with my musical projects as well and they always seems to build up faster.
When i start doing a random project, it comes out harder because i have to improvise ideas along the process which might be more time consuming.

 

A video that's a little different, but I feel captures the idea of the thread well:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoOUBETTyMI

 

I find that the first point doesn't work well for me at least when it comes to music. If I know what kind of sounds I want in the end, I end up making crap. When I just sit down and go with the flow without caring about the end result, I usually make better music.
But that's different for everybody I guess

 

Yes, i guess it's different for everybody as well...
If you have a good "picture" in the beginning about what you want to achieve in the end the result will come up faster. I don't say to limit yourself only on the first idea, but actually to generate other ideas based on your main concept. In my situation, the things are inversed, i actually do better music when i visualize "the end product" in my head, because i pick up the right tools for that particular needs and i can get everything done pretty fast as long as i don't wander through my tools trying to figure out what should i try on that particular project. I don't know if you know any synthesis or sound design, but if you know your tools very well, then you'll be able to visualize the end product easier and more detalied because you already know what you can do with your tools as long as you know them inside out or something like that.
It's ok anyway, it doesn't matter the way you do it, but actually what you achieve in the end. Have a nice one.

 

A lot of the great inventors, musicians, etc. would make use of visualization. You need to imagine something compelling enough to get that creativity going. Otherwise there is too much choice and you're just ambling about with no clear direction.

 

Yea, and Mozart is a good example. He composed a whole Sonata in G in his head. Visualization always comes from your brain/inspiration. When we try to find inspiration along the process, i consider it more difficult to achieve something great as long as we're wandering through it searching for a way to get it done when we actually don't even know what sound to choose for a particular track. As you said, there's too much choices and no matter how positive this would sound, it actually turns into a negative distraction.