I would 1) Brainstorm: Write a list of the things I want to do that involves the resources in the lab, 2) Prune: Pick the top five I want to do. 3) Summarize

I would 1) Brainstorm: Write a list of the things I want to do that involves the resources in the lab, 2) Prune: Pick the top five I want to do. 3) Summarize: For each one, write out a quick description which identifies basic resources you need and major milestones to meet, and what you expect to get at the end. Keeping it to two or three paragraphs for each idea. 4) Choose: then pick two. First one is the quickest to get done. The second is the most challenging. Then decide which one, but shoot for doing both. For bonus points, write time estimates for the milestones on the back of an envelope and see how close you get to your schedule estimate. Out of everything I do, estimating projects is the most challenging, especially because I'm usually doing something new.