Preparation Takes the Pressure Off and Fuels Creativity
I’ve inadvertently fallen into a great practice. Being caught having to write a new daily post for my blog I couldn’t think of anything to write. Sometimes the pressure of a deadline inspires me but lately I seem to not think as well under certain types of pressure.
When I started writing a series of posts on “Choosing the Right PMO Vision”, I found that writing ahead a few days gave me the freedom to write other posts whenever the inspiration hit me and just add them to the pre-posted list. The challenge was to stay ahead. This is pressure in and of itself, but more pleasurable than being caught with having to write on a given day.
It’s obvious that, for me, the pressure of preparation works a lot better than the pressure of hitting a deadline. In project preparation, laying out the structure for project documents (like a statement of work) and filling in the details as the project developed worked a lot better than waiting to do project documents towards the end. This create-the-skeleton-and-flesh-it-out method allows me to have a better handle on the entire effort early, enabling me to be more creative with how the project is defined and staffed.
Preparation, in blogging and in projects, actually allows me to be more creative. This isn’t intuitive, as creativity is normally associated with spontaneity. One of the greatest quotes I’ve heard is from Vin Scully, the best of the best baseball play-by-play announcers. When asked how he comes up with his great spontaneous stories and one-liners during lulls in the game he said, “I do my homework”.
Have you noticed your creativity losing it’s punch lately? Are you preparing like you used to? Did you reduce your preparation because you thought it would allow more creativity or to draw upon other’s preparation? What elements of preparation will help you regain your creative spark?
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Tags: blogging, challenge, creativity, preparation, pressure, projectsRelated Stories
POSTED IN: 101 Basics
2 opinions for Preparation Takes the Pressure Off and Fuels Creativity
ActiveEngine Sensei
Jan 3, 2008 at 7:44 pm
I have two train of thoughts to contribute to your post. One way in which I feel I get a boost is to shut off my mind and quite literally proceed - myopically I will add - from step to step. Something about that repetition at a painfully deliberate pace jump starts the ideas, or in some cases streamlines communications to focus on the essential elements that are the key to unlocking a solution.
One danger that the Agile software developers can fall into is misconstruing rote preparation as part of analysis / paralysis, substituting the preparation for “being lean”.
Bob
Jan 3, 2008 at 8:11 pm
Sensei- I’m sensitive to the balance required between preparation and analysis/paralysis. Your “boost” method is interesting- do you do this when your mind is cluttered with too many thoughts? It’s funny how ideas sometimes flow freely and other times don’t. With me it’s getting relaxed enough to think, or being pressured, in a good way, to think.
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