a quick tip to keep creativity from blocking productivity
Often times when I’m working on a project, I’ll get distracted by another idea that intrudes. Why does this happen? Well, it seems to be the way creativity flows.
Based on great posts and books I’ve read and my own experiences, once you prime your creative pump, it flows toward your project at hand and can overflow to other subjects.
Sometimes I find the ideas that come to me are tangentially related. And that’s not so problematic. Other times, though, the new fodder seems completely unrelated.
What difference does different make? The challenge with unrelated fodder is the distraction it can present because of how much it pulls you away from what you’re doing, so you can record it clearly.
Did you ever write down just a phone number only to realize later that you forgot who left it, and who should get it? A similar problem occurs with corralling ideas. You need to capture it quickly and adequately.
You want to be thorough enough in the notes you take to accurately capture what revealed itself to you. Whenever you get back to the idea, you want to be able to return yourself to the moment and revive the inspiration. For that, you need sufficient information to stimulate the memory.
Take Good Notes
It’s great to have ideas. It’s an indication that you have enough material to keep going. But what’s the point if you don’t finish what you start? In order to get to the finishing point of any task, I take notes about the extraneous ideas.
When my next brilliant idea surfaces, I don’t want it to get away from me. So, I try to capture it in words and images if I can. My goal is to record enough information to be able to develop the idea at a later date. I keep a tablet next to my computer most times, or I’ll snag paper from the printer, whatever it takes to get it down because writing makes things stick for me.
What Good Does it Do?
I have to tell you, just because I know these helpful tips, doesn’t mean that I ALWAYS apply them. Sometimes I will let myself get pulled away from a project, indefinitely if not permanently. Problem is, I have lost some ideas permanently. They run cold and I don’t know where they were headed, and I can’t seem to restart them.
But, when I do it right and take good notes, there are several good things that come of it. Two things you’ll find:
- You’ll be able to focus on your current project without having to worry about losing your new idea
- More ideas will begin to come to you when you give all of them room to surface and be cultivated
What do you do when you get distracted? Do you capture your ideas or just let them go? I’m interested to know what works for you.
