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The Weight of What’s Undone

by | Process

You’re creative, right? You’ve got great ideas. You’re doing great work and gaining traction. Then suddenly, it seems like you can’t get moving on your work. Ideas aren’t flowing like they once were, and there is little movement on your projects. Have you just “lost it”? Probably not – there is likely something else going on.

One of the challenges of doing creative work – working with your mind – is that you are largely responsible for not only conceiving of new opportunities, but also making your concepts real, tangible and preferably effective, through whatever means necessary. After all, you’re getting paid to produce results, not to dream all day.

YOU bear the weight of this. YOU are responsible for moving the ball forward. Even as a part of a team, you feel the pressure of each idea you introduce because you know it’s going to mean more work for you, and possibly for others. In fact, you probably begin to calculate the weight of the work involved in making something happen pretty early in the process. It’s a snap judgment, but sometimes it’s sufficient to get you to nix an idea before it even takes its first breath.

And then there’s the work you’re charged with, but are still looking for insights on. After a while, the weight of all that’s left undone can become oppressive. It can cause you to limit the number of ideas you introduce. (After all, you have plenty on your plate as it is, right?)

How can you deal with the weight of what’s undone while still being realistic and pragmatic?

First, it’s important to recognize this “weight bearing” dynamic so that you can diffuse any unnecessary pressure and begin to look objectively at your work. Ideas have no power to harm until they are implemented, so there is no need to self-limit too early in the process.

Second, it can be helpful to give yourself dedicated “dream time” for your projects without the accompanying pressure of executing any of the ideas. While this may seem inefficient on the surface, what you’re actually doing is giving yourself permission to get your big, potentially ridiculous, potentially impossible ideas out so that they aren’t hovering just beneath the surface of your thoughts and clouding your critical thinking. Simply recognize that this twenty minutes has little to do with pragmatics and everything to do with possibility.

Finally, list out all that’s left undone on your most important work with a special emphasis on needed creative insights. Sometimes the weight of needed ideas can impose unnecessary pressure on your creative process. Listing these “question mark” areas helps you gain an accurate assessment of all of your true outstanding issues.

Don’t become paralyzed by “the undone”. Stay engaged and aware of how these pressures affect your creating.

Do you feel this pressure too? Any other thoughts or tips for how to deal with it?

Todd Henry

Todd Henry

Positioning himself as an “arms dealer for the creative revolution”, Todd Henry teaches leaders and organizations how to establish practices that lead to everyday brilliance. He is the author of five books (The Accidental Creative, Die Empty, Louder Than Words, Herding Tigers, The Motivation Code) which have been translated into more than a dozen languages, and he speaks and consults across dozens of industries on creativity, leadership, and passion for work.

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3 Comments

  1. Greg

    I just came to the conclusion that my lifestyle was a major contributor to my creative malaise. Irregular meals, irregular times….insulin roller coaster. Got on a disciplined diet and exercise regimen, basically a lifestyle change. Made a big difference.

  2. Anonymous

    I often allow the pragmatic things of life get way behind while I stay focused on creating and ideating. Eventually, I must take a block of time and take care of the undone things so that I can be free to create again. Scheduling time to do the undone things, creative undone things or otherwise, allows my mind the freedom to dream again.

  3. Lewis LaLanne aka Nerd #2

    Making your ideas your prisoner on paper or in pixel is a brilliant idea. My mind always feels a whoosh of relief when it knows it’s not responsible any more for remembering something. I wish I’d do it more often than I do. Hahaha.

    I just read a post over at remarkablogger about a technique for using Twitter for doing this. Here’s a quick snippet from the post explaining how to use it…

    Seize the idea

    The greatest and best post in the world can and will strike at the
    behest of a demon in the middle of nowhere. You need to be ready.
    Twitter can help.

    Here’s how:

    Chronology
    Every time you tweet you’ve got the date in the post, much as you would a
    personal diary. Looking on your timeline helps you remember where you
    were and what you were thinking at a given time.

    Twitter doesn’t keep your tweets for more than two weeks. But there are several free archive services out there (TweetBackup for example) that let you access and download your entire tweet history in a handy spreadsheet.

    Don’t need no fancy phone
    Twitter allows you tweet via text. This is incredibly handy. You don’t
    need a special app, a web-enabled phone or even a computer.

    If you’re stuck in a cell-phone dead zone you can save your text as a draft and send it when you’ve got a signal. Charges apply.

    For more just head over to remarkablogger.com and click on the link for “How Twitter Can Help You Write The Greatest and Best Blog Post” and you’ll see all of the other great advice Peter Crowell gives on this topic.

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