buck (one's) ideas up
To begin to put forth more effort in some area. You need to buck your ideas up and work harder in this class if you want the teacher to write you a letter of recommendation.
buck your ideas up
make more effort; become more energetic and hardworking. informal Buck here refers to the lively action of a horse jumping with all its feet together and its back arched. Buck up in its modern senses of ‘cheer up’ and ‘hurry up’ is first found in late 19th-century school slang.