In business as in life, knowing when to let go is important. But sometimes, like when you’re stuck in a rut, rethinking an old idea can spark new ones, invigorating your creativity and motivation. So don’t throw away your list of ideas that didn’t work out. Instead, revisit them and make them brand new. Here are a few reasons why not letting go can help you in the long run.

Rethinking helps with brainstorming

If you feel like you and your team are fresh out of ideas, try revisiting old ones. Ask, “Why did we decide not to move forward with this?” to find out whether those reasons are still valid. If the idea was a good one, but it failed when implemented, go back to refresh your memory about why and determine if the cause is still an impediment. Work with your team to discover a new way to think about the idea or the problem it was meant to resolve. Challenge yourself to find as many different perspectives as possible. You may uncover a thought that no old previously considered.

Rethinking makes focusing easier

When there are either too many ideas or not enough, it’s easy to lose focus. Looking back at ideas already discussed or only partially fleshed out can help you regain some of that focus and add some much-needed structure to your efforts.

Rethinking is an aid to prioritizing

Some ideas may be great, but they may be better suited for long-term goals versus short-term. If you need to make quick decisions, revisiting past ideas can help you prioritize which ones work for what needs to get done right away.

Rethinking works

There’s a reason why so many movies get remade again and again: people love seeing a fresh take on something old. If you have a process or a product that works well, take a second look. Can it be made better? Can what makes it work well be applied elsewhere? In other words, can you capitalize on old ideas that turned out to be genius?

When we rethink an old idea, we sometimes discover that what’s old is new again.