Panic is the death of creativity.
When you think “I’ve got to figure this out NOW or something awful is going to happen,” your chances of coming up with a unique solution are minimal. You’ll come up with something — it just won’t be something creative. (more about the brain science of why waiting to the last minute destroys creativity)
On the other hand, Seth Godin points out in a recent post that a complete absence of urgency is just as deadly for innovation.
He writes that one of “…the two warning signs of the person in the grip of the resistance: ‘I can take my time…”’
Godin emphasizes, “You don’t need more time, you just need to decide.”
What kinds of things do you panic about? What writing tasks do you delay until you get an adrenaline rush to get you through? When and where do you need to slow down, relax and give yourself space and time to play with possibilities?
What kinds of things do you lack urgency about? What writing projects have you delayed because you have plenty of time to “get around to it someday”? When and where do “you just need to decide” and take action? How can give yourself enough, but not too much, urgency?
Balanced urgency. Potent concept. I take it too far both ways. Time to analyze which is when and where to change.
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Re: “I take it too far both ways” sometimes the only way you know it’s time to switch is to get some of the downsides of overdoing one side. The trick is to notice when the negatives first set in and make the shift soon rather than get entrenched… It’s always tricky and a perfect, unchanging balance point is usually an illusion.
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