Productivity vs. Creativity

The year was 2016, and there I was, embarking on my Master's degree studies, not particularly thrilled about the academic grind ahead. That's when I stumbled upon the productivity scene—think of it as falling down a rabbit hole lined with calendars, to-do lists, and apps promising to make you as efficient as a pit crew during a Formula 1 tire change. I don’t quite remember how it all started, but I vividly recall how David Allen’s Getting Things Done clicked with me. “Hey, this is a way to do more and stay on top of things,” I thought, convinced I’d found the holy grail of personal efficiency.

However, as the months turned into years, the world of productivity advice and tools, each touted as the hidden secret to your day-to-day slog, began to feel less miraculous. Some of these tools and tips were gems, others, not so much. As I’ve ventured deeper, a nagging question has begun to lurk in my mind: How much do these tools really enhance our creativity, rather than just our ability to schedule it away? Initially inspired by the promise of streamlined efficiency, I started to notice how my creative projects, like the blog I dreamed of launching, didn't fit neatly into these systems. Could it be that the very tools meant to free up my time were actually boxing in my creativity? Have you ever felt that your tools for efficiency were cramping your creative style?

The Trap of Over-Optimization

My personal challenge with the idea of productivity and its tools is that they often lead me toward perfectionism. Take this blog as an example. I've been paying to keep it online for about three years, but only really started posting this year. Why the delay? I was caught in a quest for perfection. It wasn't enough to write high-quality articles; each piece had to fit into a perfectly crafted arc, telling a grand narrative. The graphics weren't just to be made; they had to meet stringent standards with exact pixel sizes and aspect ratios. Even the "About Me" page felt like it needed to be flawless before anything else could go live.

To manage all these details, I’ve employed a suite of common productivity tools—Todoist, Notion, Google Calendar—attempting to combine them into a flawless blog management system. But instead of enabling progress, this pursuit of perfection paralyzed it. I spent more time tweaking task lists and syncing calendars than actually creating content. The harsh realization dawned on me: I was stuck in an optimization loop, tweaking the system endlessly in hopes of making it more efficient. Ironically, the system wasn't just supporting the project; it had become the project. The blog itself, the real goal, was lost in a sea of unattainable standards.

This led to an essential insight: If I continued this way, nothing would ever be 'good enough.' There had to be a shift—a way to use these tools without letting them use me.

The Paradox of Productivity Advice

Most productivity advice follows a familiar script: break down large tasks into smaller, manageable ones, define the next action, and create a system to reduce friction. This approach has merits and I've recently recommended it myself. However, I've also observed a significant drawback: this advice can inadvertently stifle creativity. Productivity tools tend to impose a formulaic approach on tasks that are, by nature, non-linear and unpredictable.

Creativity thrives on freedom and spontaneity, qualities that are often at odds with rigid structures. Yet, we can't deny that some level of organization is essential for managing our daily lives and achieving long-term goals. The challenge, then, is how we can harness the strengths of productivity systems without quenching the creative spirit.

How can we transform traditional planning and management—core aspects of productivity—into a catalyst for creativity? Is there a way to structure our time and resources that actually fosters innovation rather than constricting it? To answer this, we need to rethink our relationship with productivity tools. Instead of allowing these tools to dictate our workflow, we should tailor them to serve our creative processes.

Creativity is About Adventure

I’ve previously explored the dynamic between Adventure and Planning. Creativity, I believe, is similar to an adventure—it demands that we step out of our comfort zones, experiment, and navigate the unknown. Through my experiences, I've developed a straightforward process to unlock creativity:

1. Generate and Collect Ideas: Keep a running list of ideas—whether in a physical notebook (my recommendation!) or an app. Don't rush to expand these into full projects; just let them simmer and evolve naturally.
2. Dedicate Time to Develop Ideas: Don’t jump straight into execution. Spend time mulling over your collected ideas, seeking connections, and exploring possibilities in a relaxed setting, like a coffee shop. The aim here isn’t immediate production but enhancing your understanding and approach to these ideas.
3. Execute with Flexibility: With a clearer sense of direction, begin working on your project without being strictly bound to a predefined roadmap. Adapt and evolve your plans as new insights emerge. The beauty of creativity lies in its unpredictability and the opportunities that arise during the journey.

This process might seem quite intuitive, even rather stupidly obvious. Yet, implementing it is where many falter due to the effort involved. Why don't we create more if it's this straightforward? Each phase requires deliberate, conscious effort and a willingness to embrace the uncertain.

Consider how you typically handle new ideas. Do you jot them down somewhere accessible, or do they float away, forgotten? Storing these sparks of innovation can fuel future projects when you're ready to develop them. When you sit down to work, the goal isn't just to produce a set number of paragraphs or sketches but to deepen your engagement with the concepts at hand.

Once you've refined your ideas, you might find that you don’t actually need intricate templates from apps like Notion or Todoist to proceed. A simple, flexible plan can guide you, but it shouldn’t constrain you. If something isn’t as impactful as you anticipated, or if a new, exciting idea emerges, be ready to pivot. This flexibility is crucial; it’s what creativity thrives on.

This unstructured approach has profoundly impacted my blogging routine. I've set a goal to publish 12 articles in 2024—one at the end of each month. The schedule provides a framework, but the content creation remains fluid. The first couple of weeks of each month are for brainstorming and mapping out ideas, followed by drafting and refining in the subsequent weeks. This iterative process not only keeps my blog active but also ensures continual improvement and spontaneity in my writing.

Interestingly, this method has led to some unexpected outcomes. The "perfect" About Me pages and graphics that I used to obsess over? They evolved organically through this process. They are far from perfect but are authentic and effective. Moreover, this approach rekindled my interest in photography, a hobby that now enhances my blog's visuals. These graphics are not flawless, nor do they need to be. What matters is that they add genuine value and appeal to my posts.

Blending Productivity and Creativity

How can we use productivity tools to enhance creativity without falling into the over-optimization trap? For creative projects, I recommend using no more than two of the following tools:

• Calendar app
• Note-taking app
• To-do list app

I suggest limiting the number of tools because their functionalities often overlap, and simplicity is key. For instance, both a calendar and a to-do list can track deadlines, while tasks can be noted in either a note-taking app or a to-do list. Using too many tools can lead to spending more time managing them than actually creating. Only add tools if absolutely necessary.

Personally, I combine a calendar and a note-taking app to streamline my workflow. For example, I use both Notion and Notion Calendar for scheduling my coffee shop writing sessions and jotting down drafts and ideas. This integration allows me to sync notes with calendar events, creating a cohesive system that avoids the complexities of juggling multiple tools.

Here’s a peek at how I structure my actual writing process itself in Notion, which I keep delightfully simple:

I organize my content using the SCQA (Situation, Complication, Question, Action) storytelling framework. This approach ensures that my drafts are flexible and adaptable—ready to evolve right up until publication. I don't set these elements in stone; they are guides, not rules.

I call this approach minimalist productivity. It’s designed to ensure that the tools serve the creative process, facilitating the flow of work without imposing rigid structures. If you're managing more complex projects, like producing YouTube videos, consider adding a checklist to track specific production elements like thumbnails, but keep it straightforward. Use a To-do list app or just a simple repeatable note with checkboxes.

This system might seem overly simple, but that's precisely its strength. If you find it too basic for your needs, I encourage you to adapt and expand upon it iteratively. Make small, thoughtful adjustments and regularly assess whether the system is serving you or if you are serving the system.

Now, I turn the question to you: Have you ever found yourself so entangled in optimizing your productivity tools that you lost sight of what you were trying to achieve? What changes could you make to ensure your tools are serving your creativity, not stifling it? Share your experiences and thoughts below, and let’s discuss how we can all create more freely and effectively.