Thinking beyond the first proposal

I'm quite an organised person (well, depends on who you ask!) but I'm scratching my head at the moment. What's the best way to take the proposal I've drafted and moving it on? Like any big project, the idea of it can be daunting. Where do I start? How do you become one of those annoying PhD students who gabble fluently about their 'work' like they've had a huge amount of data downloaded to their brain like Neo in the Matrix?

 My Amazon wish list suggests dozens of books I could usefully read, but I need a more strategic approach. Realistically, my proposal barley touches the surface of what I want to look at, so I guess I could break key elements - theoretical frame, methodology and methods, key search terms for literature review and so on - and work on those. Yes - that's it. See? already I know I've lots to do! 

Oh, this blog might just help me. It may also provide entertainment to those who visit ("*Really?* oh, that's what I used to think before I was twenty years into my Phd...").