Textcopyright©2013byBehance“AwakeningtoConsciousComputing”copyright©2013byLindaStone“SchedulinginTimeforCreativeThinking”copyright©2013byCalNewportAllrightsreserved.

Nopartofthisbookmaybereproduced,orstoredinaretrievalsystem,ortransmittedinanyformorbyanymeans,electronic,mechanical,photocopying,recording,orotherwise,withoutexpresswrittenpermissionofthepublisher.

PublishedbyAmazonPublishingPOBox400818LasVegas,NV89140

ISBN-13:9781477800676ISBN-10:1477800670

Forthecreators

TABLEOFCONTENTS–

Whatis99U?

Preface

Foreword:RetoolingforaNewEraofWorkbyScottBelsky,FounderofBehance

–

CHAPTERONE-BUILDINGAROCK-SOLIDROUTINELayingtheGroundworkforanEffectiveRoutinebyMarkMcGuinness

HarnessingthePowerofFrequencybyGretchenRubin

Q&A:HoningYourCreativePracticewithSethGodin

BuildingRenewalintoYourWorkdaybyTonySchwartz

MakingRoomforSolitudebyLeoBabauta

KeyTakeaways-BuildingaRock-SolidRoutine

CHAPTERTWO-FINDINGFOCUSINADISTRACTEDWORLDSchedulinginTimeforCreativeThinkingbyCalNewport

BanishingMultitaskingfromOurRepertoirebyChristianJarrett

Q&A:UnderstandingOurCompulsionswithDanAriely

LearningtoCreateAmidstChaosbyErinRooneyDoland

TuningIntoYoubyScottBelsky

KeyTakeaways-FindingFocusinaDistractedWorld

CHAPTERTHREE-TAMINGYOURTOOLSMakingE-mailMatterbyAaronDignan

UsingSocialMediaMindfullybyLoriDeschene

Q&A:ReconsideringConstantConnectivitywithTiffanyShlain

AwakeningtoConsciousComputingbyLindaStone

ReclaimingOurSelf-RespectbyJamesVictore

KeyTakeaways-TamingYourTools

CHAPTERFOUR-SHARPENINGYOURCREATIVEMINDCreatingForYou,andYouAlonebyToddHenry

TrainingYourMindtoBeReadyforInsightbyScottMcDowell

Q&A:TrickingYourBrainintoCreativitywithStefanSagmeister

LettingGoofPerfectionismbyElizabethGraceSaunders

GettingUnstuckbyMarkMcGuinness

KeyTakeaways-SharpeningYourCreativeMind

CODA-ACALLTOACTIONHowProCanYouGo?byStevenPressfield

–

Acknowledgements

About99U

AbouttheEditor

Endnotes

Index

WHATIS99U?–

Fortoolong,thecreativeworldhasfocusedonideagenerationattheexpenseofideaexecution.AsthelegendaryinventorThomasEdisonfamouslysaid,“Geniusis1percentinspiration,and99percentperspiration.”Tomakegreatideasareality,wemustact,experiment,fail,adapt,andlearnonadailybasis.

99UisBehance’sefforttoprovidethis“missingcurriculum”formakingideashappen.ThroughourWebbyAward–winningwebsite,popularevents,andbestsellingbooks,wesharepragmatic,action-orientedinsightsfromleadingresearchersandvisionarycreatives.

At99U,wedon’twanttogiveyoumoreideas—wewanttoempoweryoutomakegoodontheonesyou’vegot.

PREFACE–

TheworldweworkintodayisnottheworldofMichelangelo,ofMarieCurie,ofErnestHemingway,orevenofPaulRand.Itisanewworld,empoweredandentrancedbytherapid-fireintroductionofnewtechnologies—aworldwhereourmetaphysicalfrontdoorisalwaysopen,whereanyonecanwhisperinourear,wherea“roomofone’sown”nolongermeansyou’reallalone.

Creativemindsareexceedinglysensitivetothebuzzandwhiroftheworldaroundthem,andwenowhavetocontendwithaconstantstreamofchirps,pings,andalertsatallhoursoftheday.Astheseurgentdemandstugusthiswayandthat,itbecomesincreasinglydifficulttofindacenteredspaceforcreativity.

Takingstockofthischallengingnewlandscape,99U’sManageYourDay-to-Dayassemblesinsightsaroundfourkeyskillsetsyoumustmastertosucceed:buildingarock-soliddailyroutine,tamingyourtools(beforetheytameyou),findingfocusinadistractedworld,andsharpeningyourcreativemind.

Dedicatingachaptertoeachofthesefocusareas,weinvitedagroupofseasonedthoughtleadersandcreatives—SethGodin,StefanSagmeister,TonySchwartz,GretchenRubin,DanAriely,LindaStone,StevenPressfield,andothers—tosharetheirexpertise.Ourgoalwastocomeattheproblemsandstrugglesofthisnewworldofworkfromasmanyanglesaspossible.

Becauseweeachhaveauniquesetofstrengths,weaknesses,andsensitivities,itisimpossibletoprescribeasingleapproachthatwillworkforeveryone.Therightsolutionforyouwillalwaysbepersonal—anidiosyncraticcombinationofstrategiesbasedonyourownworkdemands,habits,andpreferences.

Soratherthanlayoutaone-size-fits-allproductivitysystem,weprovideaplaybookofbestpracticesforproducinggreatwork.Ourhopeisthattheseinsights,takentogether,willhelpyoushiftyourmind-set,recalibrateyourworkflow,andpushmoreincredibleideastocompletion.

—JOCELYNK.GLEI,editor-in-chief,99U

FOREWORD:

RETOOLINGFORANEWERAOFWORK

–

ScottBelsky,FounderofBehance&authorofMakingIdeasHappen

Prepareforahighlyconcentrateddoseofinsightsthatwillprovebothenlighteninganduncomfortable.Thiswasmyownexperience,atleast.MyreviewoftheearlymanuscriptforManageYourDay-to-Dayraisedsomeglaringconcernsinmyownmindaboutmyproductivityandmindfulness.These new perspectives caught me off-guard—I realized that much of mymost valuable energy had been unknowingly consumed by bad habits.Myday-to-day practices had devolved to a point where I was at the mercy ofeverythingaroundme—everythingbutmygoalsandtruepreferences.

ItwasclearthatIwaslongoverdueforaself-auditofhowImanagemytimeinarapidlychangingworkenvironment.Somuchhasshiftedinjustthelast fewyears:Mycalendaranddocumentsarenowall in thecloud. Ihavemoredevices, apps, alerts, andutilities than everbefore.Andwith thenewability toworkanywhere, theoutcomeof thework Idohasunintentionallychanged.Meanwhile,I’vebeenoutthereinthethickofit,workinghardbutnever taking stock. If you keep playing without any time-outs, your gamestartstoslip.

Of course, every great leadermust face his or her demons in order toovercomethem.I’vealwaysknownthis,butIwasn’tawareofanyimmediateproblems.Butthesedaysthedemonsaremoreinsidious;they’retheeverydayannoyances,thelittlethingsthatsuckawayourpotentialtodobigthings.

OWNTHEPROBLEM

I’ve spent much of my career promoting strong business practices in thecreativeindustry.ThroughoutmytravelsforBehanceandinresearchingmybook,Making IdeasHappen, I have spokenwith countless creative peopleand teams about their projects and careers. With designers, writers, and

entrepreneursofallkinds,Ihavetriedtoadvocatefortheroll-up-your-sleevesproductivity and management skills required to push ideas to fruition. Mymantra has always been, “It’s not about ideas, it’s about making ideashappen.”

Frequently I am asked to speak at conferences and companies about“creativity.” I always respondwith the preliminary question, “Do you haveideas?” The answer is almost always “Yes, but…” followed by a series ofobstacleslike:“Weworkinabigcompanyandit’shardtopursuenewideas,”“Wegetoverwhelmedwiththeday-to-daystuffandstruggletomakeprogressonnewstuff,”or“Ourleadershipasksforinnovationbutkeepsgettingintheway.”

Alas,when folkswant to talkcreativity,what they’re really seeking ishelp with execution, ways to take action more effectively. Once the trueproblem becomes clear, the blame quickly shifts to the ecosystem. Thecompany iseither toobigor toosmall.Themanagement is screwing thingsup.Orit’sthe“process”thatgetsintheway.

It’stimetostopblamingoursurroundingsandstarttakingresponsibility.Whilenoworkplaceisperfect,itturnsoutthatourgravestchallengesarealotmoreprimalandpersonal.Ourindividualpracticesultimatelydeterminewhatwedoandhowwellwedoit.Specifically, it’sourroutine(orlackthereof),our capacity to work proactively rather than reactively, and our ability tosystematicallyoptimizeourworkhabitsover timethatdetermineourabilitytomakeideashappen.

DON’TJUSTDO,RETOOLYOURDOING

OftenI’llaskagreatteamaboutthelasttimetheyhadameetingtodiscusshow theywork.Aside from the occasionalmention of an annual off-site, Iusuallygetanullresponse.Why?Everyone’s toobusydoingstuff to takeapauseandmakesomechanges tohow theydostuff. I’veneverseena teamsportwithoutahuddle,yetwe’llcontinueworkingformonths—ifnotyears—withclientsandcolleagueswithoutever takinga stepback, takingstock,andmakingimprovementstooursystems.

As individuals we’re even worse off; we never have off-sites withourselves. Seldom dowe stop doingwhatwe’re doing to think about (andrework)howwe’redoingit.Thebiggestproblemwithanyroutineisthatyoudo it without realizing it. Bad habits creep in, especially as we naturallyacclimate to a changing work environment, and we end up working at themercyofoursurroundings.

THEERAOFREACTIONARYWORKFLOW

The biggest problem we face today is “reactionary workflow.” We havestarted to livea lifepeckingawayat themany inboxesaroundus, trying tostay afloat by responding and reacting to the latest thing: e-mails, textmessages,tweets,andsoon.

Through our constant connectivity to each other, we have becomeincreasingly reactive towhat comes tous rather thanbeingproactive aboutwhat matters most to us. Being informed and connected becomes adisadvantagewhenthedelugesupplantsyourspacetothinkandact.

Asyou’llseeinthediscussionsahead,theshortcutsandmodernmarvelsofworkdon’tcomewithoutacost.Thrivingintheneweraofworkrequiresustoquestionthenormsandso-calledefficienciesthathaveedgedtheirwayintoourday-to-day.

TIMETOOPTIMIZE

Weneedtorethinkourworkflowfromthegroundup.

Paradoxically,youholdboththeproblemandthesolutiontoyourday-to-day challenges. No matter where you work or what horrible top-downsystemsplagueyourwork,yourmindandenergyareyoursandyoursalone.You can surrender your day-to-day and the potential of your work to theburdensthatsurroundyou.Or,youcanauditthewayyouworkandowntheresponsibilityoffixingit.

Thisbookoffersmanydeepandpowerfulinsightsintooptimizingyourday-to-day rhythms.You’ll likely find thatyourworkhabitshavedrifted toaccommodate your surroundings rather than tomeet your preferences. Usethisbookasanopportunitytoreassess.Takeararepausefromyourincessantdoingtorethinkhowyoudowhatyoudo.

Onlybytakingchargeofyourday-to-daycanyoutrulymakeanimpactinwhatmattersmosttoyou.Iurgeyoutobuildabetterroutinebysteppingoutside of it, find your focus by rising above the constant cacophony, andsharpenyourcreativeprowessbyanalyzingwhatreallymattersmostwhenitcomestomakingyourideashappen.

WoodyAllenoncesaidthat80percentofsuccessisshowingup.Havingwrittenanddirectedfiftyfilmsinalmostasmanyyears,Allenclearlyknowssomethingaboutaccomplishment.How,when,andwhereyoushowupisthesinglemostimportantfactorinexecutingonyourideas.That’swhysomanycreativevisionariessticktoadailyroutine.ChoreographerTwylaTharpgetsupatthecrackofdawneverydayandhailsacabtogotothegym—aritualshecallsher“triggermoment.”PainterRossBlecknerreadsthepaper,meditates,andthengetstothestudioby8a.m.sothathecanworkinthecalmquietoftheearlymorning.WriterErnestHemingwaywrotefivehundredwordsaday,comehellorhighwater.

Trulygreatcreativeachievementsrequirehundreds,ifnotthousands,ofhoursofwork,andwehavetomaketimeeverysingledaytoputinthosehours.Routineshelpusdothisbysettingexpectationsaboutavailability,aligningourworkflowwithourenergylevels,andgettingourmindsintoaregularrhythmofcreating.

Attheendoftheday—or,really,fromthebeginning—buildingaroutineisallaboutpersistenceandconsistency.Don’twaitforinspiration;createaframeworkforit.

LAYINGTHEGROUNDWORKFORANEFFECTIVEROUTINE–

MarkMcGuinness

Ifyouwanttocreatesomethingworthwhilewithyourlife,youneedtodrawalinebetweentheworld’sdemandsandyourownambitions.Yes,weallhavebillstopayandobligationstosatisfy.Butformostofusthere’sawidegrayareabetweenthehave-tosandwant-tosinourlives.Ifyou’renotcareful,thatareawillfillupwithe-mail,meetings,andtherequestsofothers,leavingnoroomfortheworkyouconsiderimportant.A great novel, a stunning design, a game-changing piece of software, arevolutionary company—achievements like these take time, thought, craft,andpersistence.Andonanygivenday,thiseffortwillneverappearasurgentas those four e-mails (in the last half hour) fromClientX or ColleagueYaskingforsomethingthatcanlikelywaitafewhours,ifnotdays.

Noonelikesthefeelingthatotherpeoplearewaiting—impatiently—foraresponse.Atthebeginningoftheday,facedwithanoverflowinginbox,anarray of voice mail messages, and the list of next steps from your lastmeeting, it’s tempting to “clear the decks” before starting your ownwork.Whenyou’reup-to-date,youtellyourself,itwillbeeasiertofocus.

Thetroublewiththisapproachisitmeansspendingthebestpartoftheday on other people’s priorities. By the time you settle down to your ownwork,itcouldbemid-afternoon,whenyourenergydipsandyourbrainslows.

“Ohwell,maybetomorrowwillbebetter,”youtellyourself.

Buttomorrowbringsanotherpileofe-mails,phonemessages,andto-dolist items. If you carry on like this, you will spend most of your time onreactive work, responding to incoming demands and answering questionsframedbyotherpeople.Andyouwillnevercreateanythingtrulyworthwhile.

CREATIVEWORKFIRST,REACTIVEWORKSECOND

Thesinglemostimportantchangeyoucanmakeinyourworkinghabitsisto

switchtocreativeworkfirst,reactiveworksecond.Thismeansblockingoffalargechunkoftimeeverydayforcreativeworkonyourownpriorities,withthephoneande-mailoff.

I used to be a frustrated writer.Making this switch turned me into aproductivewriter.Now,Istarttheworkingdaywithseveralhoursofwriting.Ineverschedulemeetingsinthemorning,ifIcanavoidit.Sowhateverelsehappens,Ialwaysgetmymost importantworkdone—andlookingback,allofmybiggestsuccesseshavebeentheresultofmakingthissimplechange.

Yettherewasn’tasingledaywhenIsatdowntowriteanarticle,blogpost,orbookchapterwithoutastringofpeoplewaitingformetogetbacktothem.

Itwasn’teasy,anditstillisn’t,particularlywhenIgetphonemessagesbeginning“Isentyouane-mailtwohoursago…!”

By definition, this approach goes against the grain of others’expectationsandthepressures theyputonyou.It takeswillpowertoswitchofftheworld,evenforanhour.Itfeelsuncomfortable,andsometimespeoplegetupset.Butit’sbettertodisappointafewpeopleoversmallthings,thantosurrenderyourdreamsforanemptyinbox.Otherwiseyou’resacrificingyourpotentialfortheillusionofprofessionalism.

THEBUILDINGBLOCKSOFAGREATDAILYROUTINE

Of course, it’s all well and good to say buckle down and ignore peskyrequests,buthowcanyoudosoonadailybasis?

Start with the rhythm of your energy levels. Certain times of day areespecially conducive to focused creativity, thanks to circadian rhythms ofarousalandmentalalertness.Noticewhenyouseemtohavethemostenergyduring the day, and dedicate those valuable periods to yourmost importantcreativework.Neverbookameetingduringthistimeifyoucanhelpit.Anddon’twasteanyofitonadministrativework!

Usecreativetriggers.Stick to thesame tools, thesamesurroundings,eventhesamebackgroundmusic,sothattheybecomeassociativetriggersforyoutoenteryourcreativezone.Here’showitworksforStephenKing:

TherearecertainthingsIdoifIsitdowntowrite.Ihaveaglassofwateroracupoftea.There’sacertaintimeIsitdown,from8:00to8:30,somewherewithinthathalfhoureverymorning.Ihavemyvitaminpillandmymusic,sitinthesameseat,andthepapersareall

arrangedinthesameplaces.Thecumulativepurposeofdoingthesethingsthesamewayeverydayseemstobeawayofsayingtothemind,you’regoingtobedreamingsoon.1

Manage to-do list creep. Limit your daily to-do list. A 3” × 3” Post-it isperfect—ifyoucan’tfiteverythingonalistthatsize,howwillyoudoitallinoneday?Ifyoukeepaddingtoyourto-dolistduringtheday,youwillneverfinish—and your motivation will plummet. Most things can wait tilltomorrow.Soletthem.

Captureeverycommitment.Trainyourselftorecordeverycommitmentyoumake(toyourselforothers)somewherethatwillmakeitimpossibletoforget.Thiswillhelpyourespondtorequestsmoreefficientlyandmakeyouabettercollaborator.Moreimportant,itwillgiveyoupeaceofmind—whenyouareconfidentthateverythinghasbeencapturedreliably,youcanfocusonthetaskathand.

Establishhardedgesinyourday.Setastarttimeandafinishtimeforyourworkday—evenifyouworkalone.Dedicatedifferenttimesofdaytodifferentactivities:creativework,meetings,correspondence,administrativework,andsoon.Thesehardedgeskeeptasksfromtakinglongerthantheyneedtoandencroaching on your other important work. They also help you avoidworkaholism,whichisfarlessproductivethanitlooks.

Atrulyeffectiveroutineisalwayspersonal—asnugfitwithyourowntalentandinclinations.Soexperimentwiththesebuildingblocksandnoticewhichcombinationgivesyou thebest foundationfordoingyourbestwork.You’llknowit’seffectivewhenyourdailyschedulestartstofeellesslikeamundaneroutineandmorelikeacreativeritual.

MARKMCGUINNESSisaLondon-basedcoachforcreativeprofessionals.Heworkswithclientsallovertheworldandconsultsforcreativecompanies.HeistheauthorofResilience:FacingDownRejectionandCriticismontheRoadtoSuccessandacolumnistfor99U.

→www.LateralAction.com

HARNESSINGTHEPOWEROFFREQUENCY–

GretchenRubin

Wetendtooverestimatewhatwecandoinashortperiod,andunderestimatewhatwecandooveralongperiod,providedweworkslowlyandconsistently.AnthonyTrollope,thenineteenth-centurywriterwhomanagedtobeaprolificnovelistwhilealsorevolutionizingtheBritishpostalsystem,observed,“Asmalldailytask,ifitbereallydaily,willbeatthelaboursofaspasmodicHercules.”Overthelongrun,theunglamoroushabitoffrequencyfostersbothproductivityandcreativity.As a writer, I work every single day, including weekends, holidays, andvacations.UsuallyIwriteformanyhoursduringaday,thoughsometimesitmightbeastintasshortasfifteenminutes—andIneverskipaday.I’vefoundthat this kind of frequentworkmakes it possible to accomplishmore,withgreateroriginality,forseveralreasons.

Frequencymakesstartingeasier.Gettingstartedisalwaysachallenge.It’shardtostartaprojectfromscratch,andit’salsohardeachtimeyoure-enteraprojectafterabreak.Byworkingeveryday,youkeepyourmomentumgoing.Youneverhavetimetofeeldetachedfromtheprocess.Youneverforgetyourplace,andyouneverneedtowastetimereviewingyourworktogetbackupto speed or reminding yourself what you’ve already done. Because yourprojectisfreshinyourmind,it’seasytopickupwhereyouleftoff.

Frequency keeps ideas fresh. You’remuchmore likely to spot surprisingrelationships and to see fresh connections among ideas, if your mind isconstantly hummingwith issues related to yourwork.When I’m deep in aproject,everythingIexperienceseemstorelatetoitinawaythat’sabsolutelyexhilarating. The entire world becomes more interesting. That’s critical,becauseIhaveavoraciousneedformaterial,andasIbecomehyperawareofpotential fodder, ideas pour in. By contrast, working sporadically makes ithardtokeepyourfocus.It’seasytobecomeblocked,confused,ordistracted,ortoforgetwhatyouwereaimingtoaccomplish.

Frequencykeeps thepressureoff. If you’re producing just one page, oneblogpost,oronesketchaweek,youexpectittobeprettydarnedgood,andyoustarttofretaboutquality.Iknewawriterwhocouldhardlybringherselftowrite.When she didmanage to keep herself in front of her laptop for aspate ofwork, she felt enormous pressure to be brilliant; she evaluated theproduct of each work session with an uneasy and highly critical eye. Shehadn’tdonemuchwork,sowhatshedidaccomplishhadtobeextraordinarilygood. Because I write every day, no one day’s work seems particularlyimportant. I have good days and I have bad days. Some days, I don’t getmuchdoneatall.Butthat’sokay,becauseIknowI’mworkingsteadily.Myconsequent lack of anxiety puts me in a more playful frame of mind andallowsmetoexperimentandtakerisks.Ifsomethingdoesn’tworkout,Ihaveplentyoftimetotryadifferentapproach.

Frequency sparks creativity. You might be thinking, “Having to workfrequently, whether or not I feel inspired, will force me to lower mystandards.” In my experience, the effect is just the opposite. Often folksachievetheirbestworkbygrindingouttheproduct.Creativityarisesfromaconstantchurnofideas,andoneoftheeasiestwaystoencouragethatfertilefroth is to keep your mind engaged with your project. When you workregularly,inspirationstrikesregularly.

Frequency nurtures frequency. If you develop the habit of workingfrequently,itbecomesmucheasiertositdownandgetsomethingdoneevenwhen you don’t have a big block of time; you don’t have to take time toacclimateyourself.Iknowawritermarriedtoapainter,andshetoldme,“Wetalkabout the ‘ten-minute rule.’ Ifourwork isgoingwell,wecansitdownandgetsomethinggooddoneintenminutes.”Frequencyallowsustomakeuseoftheseshortwindowsoftime.Onarelatednote…

Frequency fosters productivity. It’s no surprise that you’re likely to getmore accomplished if you work daily. The very fact of each day’saccomplishment helps the next day’s work come more smoothly andpleasantly. Nothing is more satisfying that seeing yourself move steadilytoward a big goal. Step by step, youmake your way forward. That’s whypractices such as dailywriting exercises or keeping a daily blog can be sohelpful.Youseeyourselfdothework,whichshowsyouthatyoucandothework.Progressisreassuringandinspiring;panicandthendespairsetinwhenyou find yourself getting nothing done day after day. One of the painfulironiesofworklifeisthattheanxietyofprocrastinationoftenmakespeopleevenlesslikelytobuckledowninthefuture.

Frequency is a realistic approach. Frequency is helpful when you’reworkingonacreativeprojectontheside,withpressingobligationsfromajoboryour family. Insteadof feelingperpetually frustrated thatyoudon’thaveanytimeforyourproject,youmakeyourselfmaketime,everyday.Ifyoudoa little bit each day, you can get a lot done over the course ofmonths andyears (see above). Also, it’s true that frequency doesn’t have to be a dailyfrequency; what’s most important is consistency. The more widely spacedyourworktimes,however,thelessyoureapallofthesebenefits.

Theoppositeofaprofound truth isusuallyalso true.While therearemanyadvantagestofrequencyoverthelongterm,sometimesit’sfuntotakeabootcamp approach, to work very intensely for a very short period of time. InMaking Comics, Scott McCloud recommends what he calls the 24-hourcomic:“Drawanentire24-pagecomicbook inasingle24-hourperiod.Noscript. No preparation. Once the clock starts ticking, it doesn’t stop untilyou’redone.Greatshocktherapyforthecreativelyblocked.”Ilovepluggingalonginmyworkbitbybit,butoccasionallyit’sevenmoreusefultotakeabig, ambitious step. By tackling more instead of less, I enjoy a surge ofenergyandfocus.

Ihavealonglistof“SecretsofAdulthood,”thelessonsI’velearnedasI’ve grown up, such as: “It’s the task that’s never started that’s moretiresome,” “Thedays are long, but the years are short,” and “Always leaveplentyofroominthesuitcase.”OneofmymosthelpfulSecretsis,“WhatIdoeverydaymattersmorethanwhatIdoonceinawhile.”

Day by day, we build our lives, and day by day, we can take stepstowardmakingrealthemagnificentcreationsofourimaginations.

GRETCHENRUBINistheauthorofthebestsellersHappieratHomeandTheHappinessProject—accountsofherexperiencestest-drivingancientwisdom,scientificstudies,andlessonsfrompopularcultureabouthappiness.Onherblog,shereportsonherdailyadventuresinhappiness.

→www.happiness-project.com

Q&A:

HONINGYOURCREATIVEPRACTICE

–

withSethGodin

SethGodinknowsafewthingsaboutgettingstuffdone.Hehasconsistentlyinnovatedasanentrepreneur,awriter,andaneducator—allthewhileproducinganincrediblebodyofworkthatincludesnumerousgroundbreakingventuressuchastheDominoProject,Squidoo,andthefirst“AlternativeMBAProgram,”nottomentionfourteenbestsellingbooks.Wechattedwithhimabouthowcultivatingadailypracticeisanecessaryprerequisitetoachievinggreatthings.

What’sthehardestpartaboutgettingadailyroutineright?Everybodywho does creativework has figured out how to deal with theirowndemonstogettheirworkdone.Thereisnoevidencethatsettingupyoureasel like Van Goghmakes you paint better. Tactics are idiosyncratic. Butstrategies are universal, and there are a lot of talented folks who are notsucceedingthewaytheywanttobecausetheirstrategiesarebroken.

The strategy is simple, I think.The strategy is to have apractice, andwhatitmeanstohaveapracticeistoregularlyandreliablydotheworkinahabitualway.

Therearemanywaysyoucansignifytoyourselfthatyouaredoingyourpractice.Forexample,somepeoplewearawhitelabcoatoraparticularpairofglasses,oralwaysworkinaspecificplace—indoingthesethings,theyareprofessionalizingtheirart.

ThenotionthatIdomyworkhere,now,likethis,evenwhenIdonotfeel like it, and especially when I do not feel like it, is very important.Becauselotsandlotsofpeoplearecreativewhentheyfeellikeit,butyouareonlygoingtobecomeaprofessionalifyoudoitwhenyoudon’tfeellikeit.Andthatemotionalwaiveriswhythisisyourworkandnotyourhobby.

Whatdopeoplestrugglewiththemost,outsideofthehardworkofadailyroutine?Thepracticeisabigpart.Thesecondpartofit,whichIthinkisreallycritical,isunderstandingthatbeingcreativemeansthatyouhavetosellyourideas.Ifyou’reaprofessional,youdonotgettosay,“Ugh,nowIhavetogosellit”—selling it is part of it because if you do not sell it, there is no art. No fairembracingonewhiledoingasloppyjobontheother.

Canyouthinkofanyartistswhodidnotpossessthatsalesabilityoriginallybutwereabletocultivateit?I’venevermetanybodywhoisgreatatsellingwhowasbornthatway.Ithinkthat all the people who have figured out how to do this for a living havefigureditoutbecauseitwasimportanttothem,notbecauseitcamenaturally.Whereas I know tons of peoplewho call themselves artistswhowere bornwith talents andnever reallyhad topush themselves tobegoodat it.Theythinktheyareentitledtomakealivingatthisthing,buttheyarenotwillingtodothehardpart—selling—thateveryonefindshard.

Sometimesweworkhardintheshorttermbutstillfailtoachieveourbig-picturegoals.Howdoyoukeepyourshort-termworkalignedwithyourlong-termobjectives?Thereasonyoumightbehavingtroublewithyourpracticeinthelongrun—ifyouwere capable of building a practice in the short run—is nearly alwaysbecauseyouareafraid.The fear, the resistance, isvery insidious. Itdoesn’tleavealotoffingerprints,butthepersonwhomanagestomakeamovieshortthatblowseveryoneawaybutcan’traiseenoughcashtomakeafeaturefilm,thepersonwhogetsalittlefreelanceworkhereandtherebutcan’tfigureouthowtoturnitintoafull-timegig—thatpersonispracticingself-sabotage.

These people sabotage themselves because the alternative is to putthemselvesintotheworldassomeonewhoknowswhattheyaredoing.Theyare afraid that if they do that, they will be seen as a fraud. It’s incrediblydifficulttostandupataboardmeetingoraconferenceorjustinfrontofyourpeersandsay,“Iknowhowtodothis.Hereismywork.Ittookmeayear.It’sgreat.”

Thisishardtodofortworeasons:(1)itopensyoutocriticism,and(2)itputsyouintotheworldassomeonewhoknowswhatyouaredoing,whichmeans tomorrowyoualsohave toknowwhatyouaredoing, andyouhavejustsignedupforalifetimeofknowingwhatyouaredoing.

It’smucheasiertowhineandsabotageyourselfandblametheclient,thesystem,andtheeconomy.Thisiswhatyouhidefrom—thenoiseinyourheadthatsaysyouarenotgoodenough,thatsaysitisnotperfect,thatsaysitcouldhavebeenbetter.

SETHGODINhaswrittenfourteenbooksthathavebeentranslatedintomorethanthirtylanguages.Everyonehasbeenabestseller.Hewritesaboutthepost-industrialrevolution,thewayideasspread,marketing,quitting,leadership,and,mostofall,changingeverything.

→www.sethgodin.com

BUILDINGRENEWALINTOYOURWORKDAY–

TonySchwartz

Zekeisacreativedirectoratalargeagency.TheworkdayhedescribedwhenwefirstmetwastypicalofthemanagersandleadersImeetinmytravels.

Aftersixorsixandahalfhoursofsleep—whichneverfeltlikeenough—Zeke’salarmwentoffat5:30a.m.eachmorning.HisfirstmovewastotakehisiPhoneoffthenighttableandcheckhise-mail.Hetoldhimselfhedidthisincasesomethingurgenthadcomeinovernight,butthetruthwashejustcouldn’tresist.Zeke tried to get to the gym at least two times a week, but he traveledfrequently,andathomehewasoftenjusttootiredtoworkout.Oncehegottowork—around7:30a.m.mostdays—Zekegrabbedacupofcoffee,satdownathisdesk,andcheckedhise-mailagain.Bythen,twenty-fiveormorenewmessages were typically waiting in his in-box. If he didn’t have an earlymeeting,hemightbeonlineforanhourormorewithoutoncelookingup.

Zeke’sdaysweremostlyaboutmeetings.Theywereusuallyscheduledoneaftertheotherwithnotimeinbetween.Asaresult,hewouldraceofftothenextmeetingwithoutdigestingwhathe’djusttakeninatthelastone.

LunchwassomethingZekesqueezedin.Heusuallybroughtfoodbacktohisdeskfromthecafeteriaandworkedwhileheate.Aroundtwoorthreeintheafternoon,dependingonhowmuchsleephe’dgottenthepreviousnight,Zekebegantofeelhimselffading.Givenhiscompany’sculture,takingevenashort nap wasn’t an option. Instead, for a quick hit of energy, he foundhimself succumbing to a piece of someone’s leftover birthday cake, orrunningtothevendingmachineforaSnickersbar.

With somany urgent demands, Zeke tended to put off any intensive,challengingworkforlater.Bytheendoftheday,however,herarelyhadtheenergytogettoit.Evenso,hefounditdifficulttoleaveworkwithsomuchunfinishedbusiness.Bythetimehefinallydid,usuallyaround7:30or8p.m.,

hewasprettymuchrunningonempty.

Afterdinner,Zeketriedtogettosomeoftheworkhehadputoffearlierin the day. Much of the time, he simply ended up returning to e-mail orplayinggamesonline.Eitherway,he typicallystayeduplater thanheknewheshould.

Howcloselydoesthismatchyourexperience?Totheextentthatitdoesresonate,howdidthishappen?Mostimportant,canyouimagineworkingthewayyoudonowforthenexttenortwentyyears?

YOURCAPACITYISLIMITED

The challenge is that the demand in our lives increasingly exceeds ourcapacity. Think of capacity as the fuel thatmakes it possible to bring yourskillandtalentfullytolife.Mostofustakeourcapacityforgranted,becauseformostofourliveswe’vehadenough.

What’s changed is that between digital technology and risingcomplexity,there’smoreinformationandmorerequestscomingatus,fasterandmorerelentlesslythanever.

Unlike computers, however, human beings aren’t meant to operatecontinuously,athighspeeds,forlongperiodsoftime.Rather,we’redesignedtomoverhythmicallybetweenspendingandrenewingourenergy.Ourbrainswavebetweenhighandlowelectricalfrequencies.Ourheartsbeatatvaryingintervals. Our lungs expand and contract depending on demand. It’s notsufficient to be good at inhaling. Indeed, the more deeply you exhale, thecalmerandmorecapableyoubecome.

Instead, we live linear lives, progressively burning down our energyreservoirsthroughouttheday.It’stheequivalentofwithdrawingfundsfromabankaccountwithoutevermakingadeposit.Atsomepoint,yougobankrupt.

Thegoodnewsisthatwecaninfluencethewaywemanageourenergy.Bydoingsoskillfully,youcangetmoredoneinlesstime,atahigherlevelofquality,inamoresustainableway.

Acoupleofkeyscientificfindingspointtheway.Thefirstisthatsleepismoreimportantthanfood.Youcangoaweekwithouteatingandtheonlythingyou’llloseisweight.Giveupsleepforevenacoupleofdaysandyou’llbecome completely dysfunctional. Even so, we’re all too willing to tradeawayanhourofsleepinthefalsebeliefthatitwillgiveusonemorehourofproductivity. In fact, even very small amounts of sleep deprivation take a

significant toll on our cognitive capacity. The notion that some of us canperform adequately with very little sleep is largely a myth. Less than 2.5percentofthepopulation—that’soneinfortypeople—feelsfullyrestedwithlessthanseventoeighthoursofsleepanight.

The second key finding is that our bodies follow what are known asultradian rhythms—ninety-minute periods at the endofwhichwe reach thelimits of our capacity to work at the highest level. It’s possible to pushourselves past ninety minutes by relying on coffee, or sugar, or bysummoning our own stress hormones, butwhenwe do sowe’re overridingourphysiologicalneedforintermittentrestandrenewal.Eventually,there’sapricetopay.

AROUTINETHATINCLUDESRENEWAL

What if you aligned your workday habits more closely with the naturalrhythms of your body—recognizing renewal as a critical aspect of botheffectivenessandsustainabilityinaworldofrisingdemand?

In Zeke’s case, the first thing he changed was his sleep routine. Foryears, he’d been going to sleep sometime aftermidnight.On reflection, herealizedtherewasnogoodreasonforstayingupthatlate.Thesamewastrueaboutwakingupat5:30a.m.Hedidn’thavetostarthisdaythatearly.Itwasjust somethinghe’dalwaysdone. Instead,Zekebeganwindingdownby11p.m.andturningoffthelightsnolaterthan11:30.Healsobeganwakingupanhourlater,at6:30a.m.,ensuringthathenowgetsatleastsevenhoursofsleepanight.Insteadofrushingoutthedoorashehadinthepast,Zekesitsdown for breakfast with his wife and two daughters. On both counts, heleaveshomefeelingbetter.

Zekealsobegantakingabreakoffiveortenminutesatmid-morning—usually tochatwithacolleagueabout somethingother thanwork.Withinaweek,henoticedmoreconsistentenergy levelsandmorecapacity for focusall morning long. He also noticed he became less reactive. Following anydifficultmeeting,hisinclinationhadbeentofireoffane-mailtoanoffendingparty, whichwas almost always negative and ultimately counterproductive.Withtheadvantageofmorerest,hefoundhecouldholdhisfire.

In addition, Zeke started scheduling thirty minutes in his calendar atlunchtimeforawalkoutside.Heleaveshissmartphoneathisdesktoavoidtemptation. The walks give him a chance to recharge, but also provideprecious time to reflecton themorning’smeetingsandanythingelseonhismind.

Atfirst,Zekeworriedthatgettingtoworklaterandtakingtimetowalkatlunchwouldmakehimlessproductive.Instead,hefoundhimselfworkingmoreefficientlywhenhereturned,andgettingmoredoneoverthecourseoftheday.

Over time,Zekealsobeganmakingbetterchoicesaboutwhatwork totakeon.So longashearrivedatworkalreadyfeeling tired,he instinctivelyput his energy into executing simple tasks. Doing so allowed him to feelproductivewithouthavingtoexpendtoomuchenergy.Itwastheequivalent,hecametorecognize,ofasugarhigh.Itwassatisfyingtoaccomplishaseriesofrelativelysimpletasks,butthepleasuredidn’tlastforlong.

Zekenowbeginshisdaysbytacklinghismostimportanttaskfirst.Hefocuses for sixty to ninety minutes on the challenge he believes has thegreatest likelihood of adding long-term value. “These are the things that Ishould be doing as a leader,” he says. “I just didn’t get around to thembefore.”

It’snotthatZekehasitallfiguredout.Whenhetravels,forexample,hestillsometimesabandonstheritualshe’sestablishedathome.Thenhehastostruggletobuildthembackintohisroutine.Whathenowunderstandsisthatwhenhebuildsrenewalintohisday—whenheestablishestherightrhythms—everythinginhislifeworksbetter.

TONYSCHWARTZisthepresidentandCEOofTheEnergyProject,acompanythathelpsorganizationsfuelsustainablehighperformancebybettermeetingtheneedsoftheiremployees.Tony’smostrecentbooks,BeExcellentatAnythingandThePowerofFullEngagement(thelatterco-authoredwithJimLoehr),werebothNewYorkTimesbestsellers.

→www.theenergyproject.com

MAKINGROOMFORSOLITUDE–

LeoBabauta

In1845,HenryDavidThoreausetoutforthewoodsnearWaldenPondtofindsolitude,forhisthoughtsandhiswriting.Hewantedtogetawayfromthebusinessandnoiseofnineteenth-centurycitylife.

Hewrote,“IwenttothewoodsbecauseIwishedtolivedeliberately,tofrontonlytheessentialfactsoflife,andseeifIcouldnotlearnwhatithadtoteach,andnot,whenIcametodie,discoverthatIhadnotlived.”Hewent,inotherwords,tolearnwhatthesolitudeofthewoodshadtoteachhimaboutliving.

Today, it isessential thatwefindsolitudeso thatwecan learnwhat ithastoteachus,sothatwecanfindthequiettolistentoourinnervoice,andsothatwemayfindthespacetotrulyfocusandcreate.

Evenasmalltimesetasideforsolitudeeachday—fromtwentyminutestoanhour—canmakeanenormousdifference.Herewewillbeabletofindsomequietcalmwhenourmindsareusedtojumpingaroundlikeamonkeyin the trees. This calming of the mind helps us to figure out what reallymatters and to hear own creative voice, which can be drowned out by thecacophonyofourdailytasksandonlineinteractions.

CREATINGTHESPACE

Set the time for your first block of solitude now—andmake it an essentialpartofyourdailyroutine.

Formanypeople,thebesttimeforsolitudeisearlyinthemorning.Thekidsarestillsleepingandeverythingisquiet.Igetmybestworkdonethen,and the great thing is that nothing comes up that early to disrupt yourschedule.

Ifearlymorningdoesn’twork,trydoingitassoonasyouarriveatthe

office.WhenIworkedinanoffice,I’dgetinahalfhourtoanhourearly,justsoIcouldgetsomequietworkdonebeforetheofficestartedbuzzing.Again,first thing is great because later, things get busy and start to disrupt yoursolitudeblock.

Manypeople can’t create solitude at homeor at the office because ofconstantinterruptionsandrequestsfortheirtime.Inthiscaseit’sbesttogetawayandgotoacoffeeshop,library,orparkwhereyoucanfindquietand—ideally—aplacewithoutwirelessInternet.

Agreatoptionforthenightowlsamongusistousethelate-nighthoursforsolitudeanddistraction-freespace.Ifyouworkbestatnight,youcanfindsolitudebyschedulingablockoftimetoworkaloneafterdark.

ASIMPLESOLITUDEPRACTICE

Most people are uncomfortable with the idea of solitude because it meansfacing yourself without distractions. Practice can make solitude less scary,andwill help you become comfortablewith the prospect of finding it on aregularbasis.

Oneamazingwaytopracticeisasimplemeditationsessiononceaday.Meditationdoesn’t have tobemystical or complicated: at heart, it’s simplysittinganddoingnothingelseforatleastafewminutes.Agreatplacetobuildthis intoyourdaily routine is as soonasyouwakeup—getup,drink somewater,andthensitandmeditateforfive,ten,oreventwentyminutesbeforeyoustartyourday.

How do youmeditate? Find a quiet space and sit. Stay upright, keepyoureyesopenbutnotfocusedonanythinginparticular,andbreathethroughyour nose. Start by noticing your posture, your body. Then focus yourattention on your breath, as it comes in and out of your body.Notice yourthoughtscomingup,acknowledgethem,butdon’tengagewiththem.Alwaysreturn your attention to your breath. Keep doing this for at least a fewminutes,andyou’redone.

What’s the point of sitting? There is no point—sitting is the point.You’renotdoingittoreducestress,gainenlightenment,orlearnmoreaboutyourself—thoughall these thingsmighthappen—but topractice justsitting.In doing so, you are practicing being alone, and doing nothing but whatyou’redoing.Thisisessential.

At first meditation will be uncomfortable, but you’ll get better at it.You’ll learna lotaboutyourself,andyou’llgetbetteratbeingmindful,and

beingcomfortableinsolitude.

You’llalsolearntowatchyourthoughtsandnotbecontrolledbythem.Asyoudo,you’llhavelearnedakeyskillforfocus:howtonoticetheurgetoswitchtasksandnotactonthaturge,butjustreturnyourattentiontothetaskathand.Thisiswhatyoulearninsolitude,anditiseverything.

LEOBABAUTAisasimplicitybloggerandauthor.HecreatedZenHabits,atopblog;mnmlist.com;andthebestsellingbooksFocus,ThePowerofLess,andTheEffortlessLife.

→www.zenhabits.net

KEYTAKEAWAYS

–

BuildingaRock-SolidRoutine

GREATWORKBEFOREEVERYTHINGELSEDo yourmostmeaningful creativework at the beginning of your day,andleave“reactivework”—likerespondingtoe-mailorothermessages—forlater.

JUMP-STARTYOURCREATIVITYEstablish“associativetriggers”—suchaslisteningtothesamemusicorarrangingyourdeskinacertainway—thattellyourmindit’stimetogetdowntowork.

FEELTHEFREQUENCYCommittoworkingonyourprojectatconsistentintervals—ideallyeveryday—tobuildcreativemuscleandmomentumovertime.

PULSEANDPAUSEMove rhythmically between spending and renewing your energy byworkinginninety-minuteburstsandthentakingabreak.

GETLONELYMake a point of spending some time alone each day. It’s a way toobserve unproductive habits and thought processes, and to calm yourmind.

DON’TWAITFORMOODSShowup,whetheryoufeelinspiredornot.

Getmoreinsightsandthedesktopwallpaperat:

→www.99u.com/routines

In1971,renownedsocialscientistHerbertSimonobserved,“Whatinformationconsumesisratherobvious:itconsumestheattentionofitsrecipients.Henceawealthofinformationcreatesapovertyofattention.”InthedecadessinceSimon’svisionarystatement,theamountofinformationthatwe’reconfrontedwithonadailybasishasgrownexponentially.Open-planofficeshavebroughtthebuzzofotherpeople’sactivitiesintoourworkspaces.TheInternethasprovidedaninfinitesourceofdistractionrightinsideourprimaryworkstation—thecomputer.Andsmartphoneshavemadetheallureofnewinformationavailableanytime,anywhere.

Amidthisconstantsurgeofinformation,attentionhasbecomeourmostpreciousasset.Tospenditwisely,wemustdevelopabetterunderstandingofhowtemptationworksonourbrains,cultivatenewstrategiesforenhancingourself-control,andcarveouttimetotrulyfocusonbig,creativetasks.

Inaworldfilledwithdistraction,attentionisourcompetitiveadvantage.Lookateachdayasachallenge—andanopportunity—tokeepyoureyeontheprize.

SCHEDULINGINTIMEFORCREATIVETHINKING–

CalNewport

Sinceyesterday,I’vereceivedeighty-sixe-mailmessages,manyofwhichrequireatime-consumingresponse.Onlyfourofthesemessagesdirectlyconcerntheprimaryresponsibilityofmyjobasauniversityprofessor:publishingbignewideas.This disparity is astonishing. And I’m not alone in my experience.Increasingly,creativemindsaretornintwoopposingdirections.We’reaskedtoapplyourintellectualcapital tosolvehardproblems—acreativegoalthatrequiresuninterruptedfocus.Atthesametime,we’reaskedtobeconstantlyavailablebye-mail andmessenger and inmeetings—anadministrativegoalthat creates constant distraction. We’re being asked, in other words, tosimultaneously resist and embrace distraction to advance in our careers—atroublingparadox.

I believe that this phenomenon has a lot to dowith the lack of clearmetrics in theknowledgework sector.Consider the exampleof a computerprogrammer being bombarded with “urgent” e-mail messages from amanager.Theobligationof theprogrammer toconstantlymonitorhis inboxundoubtedly reduces the amount andqualityof codeheproduces,which inturn reduces the value being generated by the company. But this value isambiguous and is hard to measure precisely. The manager, therefore, isunlikely to be reprimanded for his distracting e-mails, as there is no clearevidenceoftheirdamage.

In a business environment, peoplewill resort towhatevermakes theirlifeeasier—likefiringoffe-mailstosubordinatesatthedropofahat—untilsomeone higher up demands that a particular behavior stops. It’s hard,however, for someone higher up to make such a demand without clearevidence of exactly how much the behavior is costing the organization.Becauseofthislackofclearmetrics,we’vesunkintoaproductivitymorass,where the focus in adopting a new administrative practice is on short-termconvenienceratherthanlong-termvalue.

In2009,theliterarycriticJohnFreemanwroteaprovocativebook,The

TyrannyofE-mail,proposingthatthiscommunicationtechnologyhascausedmoreharmthangood.ThereviewofFreeman’sbookintheNewYorkTimescapturesthestandarddismissalofsuchcritiques:

“By JohnFreeman’s lights, [the fact that I sendgroup e-mails]makesmeabadguy,” the reviewerwrote.He thenpoints toaspecifice-mail,andreplies:“Andtheproblemis?InthiscaseIaskedaquestionandgothelpfulresponses.”2

Inotherwords, the reviewer rejectsFreeman’s argument that groupe-mailsconsumeadisproportionateamountofour timebycountering thathehad recently sent such an e-mail and had received useful replies in return.This is the essence of our convenience addiction: because we lack clearmetrics for these behaviors’ costs,we cannotweigh their pros against theircons. Therefore, the evidence of any benefit is enough to justify continueduse.Though group e-mailsmight be costing a company thousands ofman-hoursofvalue-producingdeepthought, thismind-setargues,ifsuche-mailsoccasionally make an employee’s life easier, they should be allowed tocontinue.

Nowthatwebetterunderstandhowweendedupinourcurrentproductivityparadox, we’re left to consider solutions. In the long run, we can hope toreformouradministrativepractices,keepingonlywhatmaximizesourabilitytodomeaningfulwork.Butweshouldn’texpectsuchamajortransformationto happen anytime soon.We are left then to consider individual habits thatwill preserve our ability to apply undistracted focus to valuable problemswhilestillmakingusavailableenoughthatwedonotannoyourcoworkers.

This is a problem I’ve studied and written about for years. I’ve seenmany different proposals for how to preserve focused work in a hecticschedule.Ofthesemanyproposedtactics,onestandsout, inmyexperience,asbeingunusuallyeffective.Icallthisthefocusblockmethod,anditworks,ironically,byturningthemachineryofthedistractioncultureagainstitself.

THEPOWEROFDAILYFOCUSBLOCKS

The focus block method leverages the well-understood concept of a pre-scheduledappointment.Ithasyoublockoffasubstantialchunkoftime,mostdays of the week, for applying sustained focus to your most importantcreative tasks. This scheduling usually happens at the beginning of a newweekorattheendofthepreviousweek.Thekeytwististhatyoumarkthistimeonyourcalendarlikeanyothermeeting.Thisisespeciallyimportantif

yourorganizationusesasharedcalendarsystem.

Now,whensomeonetriestoschedulesomethingduringthesetimes,youcan defer to your existing, clearly marked obligation: “Sorry, I’m alreadybooked fromnine to twelve thatday.”Similarly, if someonecomplains thatyouwereslowtorespondtoane-mail,ordidn’tpickupthephone,youhaveasociallyacceptableexcuse:“Iwasbookedallmorningandamjust seeingthisnow.”Peopleareusedtotheideathattheycannotdemandyourattentionduring times when you already have a scheduled appointment. The focusblocktechniquetakesadvantageofthisunderstandingtobuyyousometimeforundistractedfocuswithouttheneedforexcessiveapologyorexplanation.

Blocking off time for uninterrupted focus, however, is only half thebattle. The other half is resisting distraction. This means: no e-mail, noInternet, and no phone.This sounds easy in theory, but can be surprisinglyhardtoembraceinpractice.Ifyou’vebeenimmersedindistractionforyears,youneedtotrainyourselfbeforeyoucanworkforlongperiodswithoutit.Afewtipscanhelpyouinthiseffort:

Startwithsmallblocksoffocusedtimeandthengraduallyworkyourselfuptolongerdurations.Agoodruleofthumbistobeginwithanhouratatime, then add fifteen minutes to each session every two weeks. The key,however, is to never allow distraction. If you give in and quickly checkFacebook, cancel thewholeblock and try again later.Yourmindcannevercometobelievethatevenalittlebitofdistractionisokayduringtheseblocks.

Tackleaclearlyidentifiedandisolatedtask.Ifyouhavetowriteanarticle,forexample,dotheresearchaheadoftime,sothatwhenyougettoyourfocusblock you can put your word processor in fullscreen mode and turn yourentireattentiontoyourprose.

Considerusing a different location for these blocks.Move to a differentroom, or a library, or even a quiet place outside to perform your focusedwork.When possible, do yourworkwith pen and paper to avoid even thepossibilityofonlinedistraction.

The battle between focus and distraction is a serious problem—both to thecompetitivenessofourcompaniesandtoourownsanity.Theamountofvaluelosttouncheckeduseofconvenientbutdistractingworkhabitsisstaggering.Thefocusblockmethoddescribedabovedoesnotfixthisproblem,butitdoesgive you a way to push back against its worst excesses, systematicallyproducing important creative work even when your environment seemsdesignedtothwartthisgoal.

CALNEWPORTisawriterandaprofessoratGeorgetownUniversity.Hismostrecentbook,SoGoodTheyCan’tIgnoreYou,arguesthat“followyourpassion”isbadadvice.FindoutmoreaboutCalandhiswritingathisblog,StudyHacks.

→calnewport.com/blog

BANISHINGMULTITASKINGFROMOURREPERTOIRE–

ChristianJarrett

AuthorJonathanFranzentakesthetemptationofmultitaskingsoseriouslythat,towritehisbestsellingnovelFreedom,helockedhimselfawayinasparselyfurnishedoffice.AshetoldTimemagazine,hewentsofarastostriphisvintagelaptopofitswirelesscardandsurgicallydestroyitsEthernetportwithsuperglueandasaw.Hethenestablishedacocoon-likeenvironmentwithearplugsandnoise-cancellingheadphones.A little extreme, perhaps, but Franzen demonstrated shrewd insight intohumanfallibility.Creativemindsarehighlysusceptibletodistraction,andournewfoundconnectivityposesapowerful temptation forallofus todriftofffocus.

THEMULTITASKINGMYTH

Studiesshowthatthehumanmindcanonlytrulymultitaskwhenitcomestohighlyautomaticbehaviorslikewalking.Foractivitiesthatrequireconsciousattention,thereisreallynosuchthingasmultitasking,onlytaskswitching—theprocessofflickingthemindbackandforthbetweendifferentdemands.Itcanfeelasthoughwe’resuper-efficientlydoingtwoormorethingsatonce.But in factwe’re just doing one thing, then another, then back again,withsignificantlylessskillandaccuracythanifwehadsimplyfocusedononejobatatime.

Take the exampleof reading.Whereoncewemight have spent a fewhours with a book and then sought out social contact, tools like InstantMessengerofferthetantalizingpossibilityofdoingbothatonce.Thereality?LauraBowmanandher teamatCentralConnecticutStateUniversity foundthatstudentsusingIMwhilereadingatextbooktookabout25percentlongerto read the passage (not including the time spent on IM), compared withstudentswho simply read.3Whatever the specific arrangement,whether it’sreadingplusIMorwritingplusTV,theendresultisthesame—performance

qualitysuffersandallactivities take longer todo than theywouldhave ifasingletaskhadbeenthesolefocus.

BACKGROUNDDISTRACTIONS

Of course, double-tasking isn’t our only affliction. Perhaps even moreinsidious is our habit of superficially committing to focused work whileleavinge-mailorsocialmediasitesopeninthebackground.Allittakesisawhistle from one of these apps offering the thrill of an unexpectedcommunication,andbam,we’reoffcourse.

Butwe don’t just lose the time spent answering amessagewhen thishappens;wealsostruggletorediscover the“flow”wewereenjoyingbeforewe were disturbed. A dramatic demonstration of this appeared in anexperimentintheofficesofMicrosoft,wheretheworkingpatternsoftwenty-seven employees were monitored over a two-week period. Not only didreplyingtomessagesdivertworkersforanaverageoftenminutes,theyalsotended to use the break as a chance to cycle through a range of otherapplications, meaning another ten or fifteen minutes went by on averagebeforetheyfinallyresumedtheirprimarytask.Sometimesthediversionlastedhours.4

Wemaytellourselvesthatwe’lljustansweronequicke-mailormakeone short phonecall.But in reality, switching tasks sendsusdowna rabbithole,pullingourattentionawayfromourpriorityworkformuchlongerthanweanticipate.

Evenifyouhavecast-ironwillpower, themerefact that theInternet islying inwaitonyourcomputer takesa tollonyourworkperformance.Thevery act of resisting temptations eats up concentration and leaves youmentally depleted. Psychologists demonstrated this in a 2011 study.ParticipantsattheUniversityofCopenhagenweretoldtoperformacomputertask.Afterward, someof themwere allowed towatch a funnyvideo,whilethe others were faced with a play button for the video, but had to resistpressing it (akin to a tempting YouTube clip on your computer). Whenconfrontedwithanadditionaltaskafterward,thosewhohadtoresistthevideoperformedworsethanthosewhowereallowedtowatchit.5

In short, committing to ignore distractions is rarely enough. LikeFranzen,wemuststrivetoremovethementirelyfromourfieldofattention.Otherwise,we’llendupusinghalfourmentalenergyjustkeepingourselvesfrombreakingourownrules.

THEHANGOVEREFFECT

Nomatter howmuchwe thinkwe’re in control, our brains have their ownagenda.Let’ssayyou’reworkingonawritingproject inthemorningand—for the sake of variety—you decide to leave it unfinished and work on acreativebriefintheafternoon.Thismayseemlikeaharmlesschangeofpace,butresearchhasshownthattheunfinishedmorningtaskcouldlingerinyourmind like amental itch, adversely affecting your performance later on—aneffectthatpsychologistscall“attentionalresidue”.

Onestudy thatdemonstrated this involvedparticipantscompleting twodifferent assignments: a word puzzle first, and then a completely separaterecruitment task that involved looking at résumés. Once participants hadbegunreviewingtherésumés—thatis,oncetheyhadmentallyswitchedontothenewtask—researcherSophieLeroysurprisedthemwithachallengethatinvolvedjudgingwhetherstringsofletterswererealwordsornot.

Participantswhohadn’tbeenallowedtofinishthepuzzletaskrespondedmorequicklytowordsthathadbeenfeaturedinit,orthatreflecteditsgoals(e.g.,“solve”).Becausetheyhadn’tfinishedthatfirsttask,itwasstillnigglingawayintheirminds.Notsurprisingly,Leroyfoundthishangovereffecthadadetrimentaleffectonparticipants’performanceontherésumétaskcomparedwithparticipantswhohadbeenallowedtofinishtheinitialwordpuzzle.6

While it feels easy enough to put one task on hold to start another,studies like this are a reminder that we find it very difficult to let go ofunfinishedchallenges.Theycontinue todrawonourmental resourcesevenafterwethinkwe’veswitchedfocus.What’smore,attemptingtoignorethismentaltugdrainsusevenfurther.

Ifyoucan,it’sbesttofindagoodstoppingpointonaproject—onethatfreesyourmindfromnaggingquestions—beforemovingontoanothertask.Thatway, you’ll find it easier to achievemental closure and apply all yourenergytothenextchallenge.

Ofcourse,therearetimesinthecreativeprocesswhenitdoespaytoswitchthingsup.Whenyou’reattheproblem-solvingstageoryouneedtogeneratenew ideas, psychologists have shown that taking yourmind off-task brieflycanhelpyoursubconsciousfindlinksbetweendisparateconcepts.

But this is an exception to the general rule that multitasking is aproductivitydragmasqueradingasanefficiencybooster.Onceyou’vecooked

upyour ideasand identified theway forward, it’s time for the real laboroflove.Forthat,youneedsingle-mindedfocus.

DR.CHRISTIANJARRETTisapsychologistandauthorofTheRoughGuidetoPsychology.HewritestheResearchDigestblogfortheBritishPsychologicalSocietyandisstaffwriteronitshousemagazine,ThePsychologist.

→www.psychologywriter.org.uk

Q&A:

UNDERSTANDINGOURCOMPULSIONS

–

withDanAriely

DanArielyisfascinatedbytheirrational.Aleadingbehavioraleconomist,professor,andbestsellingauthor,Arielyresearchestopicssuchaswhywemakepoordecisions,whywecheat,andwhywelie—evenwhenit’snotnecessarilyinourbestinterest.HeisalsothefounderanddirectorofthecheekilynamedCenterforAdvancedHindsight.Wetalkedtohimaboutthesciencebehindtheirrationalurgesthatdriveustofritterawayourmostvaluabletimeatwork—andhowwecanfightback.

Inyourresearch,youexplorewhywemakebaddecisions—oftenunintentionally.Canyoutalkabouthowthisimpactsusintheworkplace?First,peoplehavea reallybadhabitofcoming inandcheckinge-mail firstthing in the morning. And for many people, the morning is the mostproductive time. E-mail is very, very tempting, so they basically sacrificetheirproductivetimefore-mail.

The second issue is that in doing things, we like to feel that we’remakingprogress.Soifyougettoerasetene-mailsfromyourinbox,youfeellikeyouhaveachievedsomething.Butifyouthinkcarefullyaboutit,it’snotclearthatyou’regoingtogetsomethingoutofit.

Thenext thingworkingagainstus is thecalendar. Ithasa tendencytorepresenttasksthatcanfitinthirty-minuteorone-hourblocks.Andtasksthattake, say, fiftyhours—which couldbehow long it takesyou to complete ameaningfulcreativetask—don’tnaturallygetrepresentedinthatcalendar.

Thenthere’sopportunitycost.Withmoney,opportunitycostisthefactthateverytimeyouspendthreedollarsonalatte,you’renotgoingtospenditonsomethingelse.Withtime,thereisalsoanopportunitycost—butit’soften

evenhardertounderstand.

Every time you’re doing something, you’re not doing something else.Butyoudon’treallyseewhat it is thatyou’regivingup.Especiallywhenitcomesto,let’ssay,e-mailversusdoingsomethingthattakesfiftyhours.Itisveryeasyforyoutoseethee-mail.Itisnotthateasyforyoutoseethethingthattakesfiftyhours.

Whyise-mailsuchagreattemptationsystem?

The psychologist B. F. Skinner came up with the idea of randomreinforcement,whereyougivearataleverandeveryhundredtimesitpressesthelever,itgetsapieceoffood.Fortherat,thatisexciting.Butifthenumberisarandomnumber—anynumberbetweenoneandonehundred—itactuallyends up being more exciting. And the rat keeps on working much, muchmore,evenifyoutaketherewardawayaltogether.

I think thate-mailandsocialnetworksareagreatexampleof randomreinforcement.Usually,whenwepull the lever tocheckoure-mail, it’snotthat interesting. But, from time to time, it’s exciting. And that excitement,whichhappensatrandomintervals,keepsuscomingbacktocheckoure-mailallthetime.

Anotherthingtounderstandisthenotionofchoicearchitecture,whichmeansthattheenvironmentinwhichwemakedecisionstendstohavealottodowithwhatourfinaldecisionsare.Soifyou’reinlineatthebuffet,thewaythefoodisorganized—whetherthefreshfruitandsaladiseasilyaccessibleortucked in thebackbehindmore temptingoptions—willdeterminewhatyouendupeating.

If you think about it, theworld around us, including theworld in ourcomputers, is all about trying to tempt us to do things right now. TakeFacebook,forexample.Dotheywantyoutobemoreproductivetwentyyearsfrom now?Or do they want to take your time, attention, andmoney rightnow?ThesamethinggoesforYouTube,onlinenewspapers,andsoon.

Thebasiccombinationofthesethreethings:(1)thattheworldaroundustries to tempt us; (2) that we listen to the world around us (e.g., choicearchitecture);and (3) thatwedon’tdealverywellwith temptation…ifyouputallofthosethingstogether,youhavearecipefordisaster.

Sowhatdowedo?I think the general notion is that, when temptation hits, it’s going to beincrediblyhardforus to resist.So ifyoure-mail is runningand it is telling

youthatamessageiswaitingforyou,that’sgoingtobeveryhardtoresist.Inyourmind, you’ll keep thinking aboutwhat exciting things arewaiting foryou.Now,ifyouneveropenedyoure-mail,youwoulddomuchbetter.

Itwould probably be best ifmanagerswent to the IT department andaskedthate-mailnotbedistributedbetweeneightandeleveneverymorning.Theideathatthebestwaytocommunicatewithpeopleis24/7isnotreallyanideaaboutmaximizingproductivity.

Doyouthinkourabilitytoexerciseself-control—toresisttemptation—islimited?

Self-control has two elements. There are self-control problems and self-controlsolutions.Self-controlproblemsareallabout“nowversuslater.”

TherewasastudybyRalphKeeneyshowingthatifyouestimatewhatpercentage of humanmortality comes from bad decision-making it will beabout10percentforpeopleahundredyearsago.Ifyoulookatitthesedays,it is a little bit more than 40 percent. Why? Because as we invent newtechnologies,wealsoinventnewwaystokillourselves.Thinkaboutobesity.Thinkaboutsmoking.Thinkabouttextinganddriving.Allofthoseareself-controlproblems.

Self-controlsolutionsareallthethingswetryinordertogetourselvestobehavebetter.Wethinkthatifwepayalotofmoneytojointhegym,wewillfeelguiltyandwewillkeepgoing.Itturnsoutthatguiltdoeswork—butonly short-term. Eventually, the guilt goes away. We buy hundred-caloriecookiepacks.Becausewethinkthatifit’sjustasmallpack,wewilleatfewercookies,andsoon.

Then finally, there is ego depletion, which deals with what happensthroughout theday aswe resist temptationover andover.The results showthat it takes energy to resist each temptation, and that aswe usemore andmoreofthisenergyasthedaygoeson,wehavelessandlessofitleft,whichincreasesthechancesthatwewillgiveintotemptation.

Whatshouldwefocusontohelpusmanageourtimebetter?Ithinkoneofthebiggestfactorsisprogressionmarkers.Formanythings,it’shard to figure out howmuch progress you’remaking.When you answer athousande-mails,you seeeverye-mailyouanswer.Whenyouare thinkingaboutadifficultproblem, it feels likemaybe therewere thirtywastedhoursandthenfinallyyouhadahalfhourattheendthatwasuseful—becausetheideakindofcametoyou.

Thereisn’ta linearprogressionandasenseofprogress.SoI thinkthebigquestionis:howdowemakeourselvesfeellikewe’remakingprogress?Because if you can create that progress, I think many of the other thingswouldbecomesmallerbarriers.

Ifyou’reworkingwithapen,youhaveevidenceofallthethingsyou’vedone. You can see your path. But if youwork on a computer, it’s just thecurrentstateofthework—youdon’thavethepreviousversions.

Ifthat’sthecase,youcouldthinkaboutsometrickstoremindyourselfaboutyourprogress.Maybeweshouldkeepadiary?Maybeweshouldkeepolderversionsofourefforts?Maybeeverydaywemakeanewversionofadocument we are working on so that we can keep a visible record of ourprogress?

DANARIELY,JamesB.DukeProfessorofPsychologyandBehavioralEconomicsatDukeUniversity,isdedicatedtohelpingpeoplelivemoresensible—ifnotmorerational—lives.HeisafoundingmemberoftheCenterforAdvancedHindsightandauthoroftheNewYorkTimesbestsellersPredictablyIrrational,TheUpsideofIrrationality,andTheHonestTruthAboutDishonesty.

→www.danariely.com

LEARNINGTOCREATEAMIDSTCHAOS–

ErinRooneyDoland

LeighMichaels,prolificauthorofmorethaneightyromancenovels,oncesaidthat“waitingforinspirationtowriteislikestandingattheairportwaitingforatrain.”Conditionstoproduceone’scraftarerarelyideal,andwaitingforeverythingtobeperfectisalmostalwaysanexerciseinprocrastination.Mostcelebratedcreativemindsdon’thavewealthypatronswhosupporttheirlives and proclivities regardless of what they produce.Musicians have dayjobs,poetsarealsoprofessors,andfeaturefilmmakersshootcommercialsonthe side. Like it or not,we are constantly forced to juggle tasks and battleunwanted distractions—to truly set ourselves apart, we must learn to becreativeamidstchaos.

POSITIVEDISTRACTION

Negative distractions that interfere with creative work can come in manyforms:thetelevisionset,undonechores,socialmedia,e-mail,coworkerswhowant to gossip, anxieties, self-doubt. Removing oneself from all of thisinterferenceistheoreticallypossible—theYaddocolonyhascertainlyservedasatemporary,interruption-freeretreatforhundredsofthegreatartists—butisunfeasibleformostofus.Beyondthis,abandoningone’sresponsibilitiesathome and the office while taking up residence at an artists’ retreat isimpractical and potentially irresponsible. Plus, there is that pesky truth thatanxietiesandself-doubtcanmultiplywhenfedwithsilenceandanabundanceoftime.

ResearchersatStanfordUniversitydiscoveredinthe1970sthatoneofthebestways tocombatnegativedistractions is simply toembracepositivedistractions.Inshort,wecanfightbaddistractionswithgooddistractions.

In the Stanford study,7 children were given an option to eat onemarshmallow right away, or wait a few minutes and receive twomarshmallows. The children who were able to delay their gratification

employed positive distraction techniques to be successful. Some childrensang;otherskickedthetable;theysimplydidwhatevertheyneededtodotogettheirmindsfocusedonsomethingotherthanthemarshmallows.

There are many ways to use positive distraction techniques for morethanjustresistingmarshmallows.Setatimerandracetheclocktocompleteatask.Tieunrelatedrewardstoaccomplishments—getadrinkfromthebreakroomorlogontosocialmediaforthreeminutesafterreachingamilestone.Writedowneveryinvadingandnegativelydistractingthoughtandscheduleaten-minutereviewsessionlaterinthedaytofocusontheseanxietiesandlaythemtorest.

SELF-CONTROL

Still, it takes a significant amount of self-control to work in a chaoticenvironment. Ignoring negative distractions to focus on preferred activitiesrequiresenergyandmentalagility.ForhisbookWillpower,psychologistRoyBaumeister analyzed findings from hundreds of experiments to determinewhy some people can retain focus for hours, while others can’t. Hediscoveredthatself-controlisnotgeneticorfixed,butratheraskillonecandevelopandimprovewithpractice.8

Baumeistersuggestsmanystrategiesforincreasingself-control.Oneofthesestrategiesistodevelopaseeminglyunrelatedhabit,suchasimprovingyourpostureor saying “yes” insteadof “yeah”or flossingyour teeth everynightbeforebed.Thiscanstrengthenyourwillpower inotherareasofyourlife. Additionally, once the new habit is ingrained and can be completedwithout much effort or thought, that energy can then be turned to otheractivities requiringmore self-control. Tasks done on autopilot don’t use upourstockpileofenergyliketasksthathavetobeconsciouslycompleted.

Entertaining activities, such as playing strategic games that requireconcentrationandhaverulesthatchangeasthegameadvances,orlisteningtoaudiobooks that requireattention to followalongwith theplot,canalsobeusedtoincreaseattention.Evensimplebehaviorslikeregularlygettingagoodnight’ssleepareshowntoimprovefocusandself-control.

MINDFULVS.MINDLESSWORK

Asmuchaswecultivate it,however,self-control isstill finite—sowemustcombinethisapproachwithotherstrategies.TworesearchersattheUniversityof California, Davis, Drs. Kimberly Elsbach and Andrew Hargadon,discoveredthatcreativityandefficiencycanbeenhancedoverthecourseofa

workdaywhenworkersalternatebetweenmindfulandmindlessactivities.Torelate it to physical exercise, the human mind is better suited for runningsprintsthanmarathons.

Their report in the journal Organization Science identified activitiessuch as “simplemanufacturing line tasks (e.g., filling supply bins),makingphotocopies, simple cleaning chores (e.g., cleaning laboratory equipment),performing simplemaintenance tasks, sortingor collating tasks, and simpleservice tasks (e.g., unpacking and stocking supplies)” as “mindless” work.Conversely, the core tasks of problem-solving and invention that relate toone’s job or creative pursuits are “mindful.” Shifting from mindful tomindlessworkgivesthebraintimetoprocesscomplexproblemsinarelaxedstate and also restores the energy necessary for the next round of mindfulwork.9

Everypersonhasadifferent lengthof timeheor shecanworkbeforeproductivityandefficiencybegintodecline—andthislengthoftimecanalsoshiftoverthecourseofaday.Keepingtrackofwhenenergylevelsriseandfall will help determine a schedule for alternating between mindful andmindlessactivities.Oncetheseebbsandflowsaredetermined,atimercanbeusedtokeeptrackof,anddirect,theseshiftstohelppreventexhaustionandtime-wasting.

Givenallthistalkoftrackingandtraining,itmightsoundlikeyouneedtobeascientistoranathletetotrulyexcelatmakinggreatcreativework.Andin a sense you do: any kind of excellence ultimately requires observation,refinement,adaptation,andendurance.JustlistentoacclaimedwriterHarukiMurakamiexplainingtheself-controlhemustputforthtocompletehiswork:

WhenI’minwritingmodeforanovel,Igetupatfoura.m.andworkforfivetosixhours.Intheafternoon,Irunfortenkilometersorswimforfifteen-hundredmeters(ordoboth),thenIreadabitandlistentosomemusic.Igotobedatninep.m.Ikeeptothisroutineeverydaywithoutvariation.Therepetitionitselfbecomestheimportantthing;it’saformofmesmerism.Imesmerizemyselftoreachadeeperstateofmind.Buttoholdtosuchrepetitionforsolong—sixmonthstoayear—requiresagoodamountofmentalandphysicalstrength.Inthatsense,writingalongnovelislikesurvivaltraining.Physicalstrengthisasnecessaryasartisticsensitivity.10

Justasabasketballplayermakingafreethrowonarivalteam’scourthastotrainhisbody toperformdespite thescreamingcrowd,creativemindsmustlearntotraintheirattentionandmarshaltheircreativeenergiesunderthemostchaoticcircumstances.

ERINROONEYDOLANDiseditor-in-chiefofUnclutterer.com,awebsiteprovidingdailyarticlesonhomeandofficeorganization,andauthorofthebookUnclutterYourLifeinOneWeek.Sheisawriter,productivityconsultant,andlecturer.Writingandsimplelivingaretwoofhergreatestpassions.

→www.unclutterer.com

TUNINGINTOYOU–

ScottBelsky

What’sthefirstthingyoudowhenyougetoutofameetingoraclass?Whenyou’rewalkingbetweenconferencerooms?Whenyou’rewaitinginline?Thesein-betweenmomentsusedtobeopportunitiestopauseandreflect.Now,weeagerlyjumpintothecommunicationstream,tuningintotheworldinsteadoftuningintoourselves.Werarely—ifever—thinkaboutthecostofdoingthis.Sowhatifyoutakeafewminutestocheckyourtextmessages?Youcanpassthetimebyflippingthroughyourphone,orbytakingamomenttolookaroundandthink,right?Whatdifferencedoesitmake?

Diving intomydevice engagesme.Whether I’mcommunicatingwithothers or checkingwebsite stats, it’s an intentional activity thatwill have aspecific, often gratifying, outcome.By contrast, doing nothing during thesemomentsofdowntimefeelslessintentional.It’sanunfocusedactivitywithnoclear outcome—I am just being present in the moment, with my eyes andmindwideopen.

Iwouldarguethattakingtimetoexperiencetheflipsideofconnected,intentionalactivity—todisengagefromthestreamandtrulybepresentinthenow—is crucial to the well-being and performance of creative minds.Consider it “filling thewell,” as poet and artist JuliaCameron once put it.Whenweturnoffonetypeofstimuli,weunleashanother.

RENEWYOURINTERESTINYOURSELF

Many years ago, while still in school, I spent a semester in Vermont at aprogramcalled theMountainSchool.Aspartof theexperience there,everystudent completes a three-day solo journey in thewilderness.They provideyou with a tarp and other necessities and then send you off to hike to acamping spot in the Green Mountains. Just a few rules: no music, noelectronics,andnocompany.

It should come as no surprise that my first day alone was extremelyboring.Ihadnoonetotalkto,nothingtoreadorwatch.Ijustsatthere,mindblank.TheconstantexternalstimulationIhadbeendependingonmyentirelifehadsuddenlyceased.Myminddidn’tknowwhattodowithitself.

On the second day, however, something changed.My brain suddenlyreactivated.Ibecametrulyawareofmysurroundings:ThequietofanearlyAprilsnowfall.Thegrandeurofcentury-oldtrees.Thehoursflewpast.

What I learned duringmy solo experiencewas thatmy thinking—mycreativityand imagination—reachedanewvelocityassoonas Iunplugged.Whenyou tune in to themoment,youbegin to recognize theworldaroundyouandthetruepotentialofyourownmind.

PRESERVEUNSTRUCTUREDTIME

There’s no executive in thedigital erabetter known for long-termplanningthan Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon. In the early days of thecompany,whenfuture-thinkingwasperhapsmostimportant,Bezoswouldtryto keep his schedule completely open onMondays and Thursdays. Ratherthanplaying catch-upor takingon a typicalCEOscheduleof back-to-backmeetings,Bezospreservedagoodchunkofhisweeklytimejust toexplore,learn,andthink.HewouldpokearoundthevariousAmazonsitesandspendtimeonthestuffhewouldordinarilynevergettodo.

AsBezosexplained inaWIREDprofile,“Iwanderaroundand talk topeople or set up my own meetings—ones that are not part of the regularcalendar.”11Settingaside thisunstructured time to fully invest in inhabitingthepresentmoment—totakethetenorofhisteamorfullydiveintohisownthoughts—has no doubt served Bezos well in honing Amazon’s long-termvision.

Mostofusfindverylittletimetocasuallyexplore,followourwhims,orthink big, but this capacity is a major competitive advantage in the era ofconstantconnectivity.Maybewecan’tcarveoutwholedaysforourselveslikeBezos did, but preserving pockets of time to unplug—perhaps a couple ofhoursinthemorningafewdaysaweek—canbetransformative.

OPENYOURSELFTOSERENDIPITY

Chanceencounterscanalsoprovideenormousbenefitsforyourprojects—andyour life. Being friendly while standing in line for coffee at a conferencemight lead to a conversation, a business card exchange, and the first

investment in your company a fewmonths later. The person sitting next toyou at a concert who chats you up during intermission might end upbecoming your largest customer. Or, two strangers sitting in a nail salonexchanging stories about their families might lead to a blind date, whichmightleadtoamarriage.(ThisishowImetmywife.Luckyforme,neitherstrangerhadasmartphone,sotheyresortedtomatchmaking.)

Iamconsistentlyhumbledandamazedbyjusthowmuchcreationandrealizationistheproductofserendipity.Ofcourse,thesechanceopportunitiesmustbenoticedandpursuedforthemtohaveanyvalue.Itmakesyouwonderhow much we regularly miss. As we tune in to our devices during everymoment of transition, we are letting the incredible potential of serendipitypassusby.

The greatest value of any experience is often found in its seams.Theprimarybenefitsofaconferenceoftenhavenothingtodowithwhathappensonstage. The true reward of a trip to the nail salonmay bemore than themanicure.

Whenyouvaluethepowerofserendipity,youstartnoticingitatworkrightaway.Tryleavingthesmartphoneinyourpocketthenexttimeyou’reinline or in a crowd. Notice one source of unexpected value on every suchoccasion.Developthedisciplinetoallowforserendipity.

PRIORITIZEBEINGPRESENT

Today’s challenge is to keep your focus and preserve the sanctity ofmindrequiredtocreate,andtoultimatelymakeanimpactinwhatmattersmosttoyou.Thiscanonlyhappenwhenyoucapitalizeon thehereandnow.Todothis,alternateperiodsofconnectednesswithperiodsoftrulybeingpresent:

Be aware of the cost of constant connection. If your focus is always onothers—andquenchingyourappetitefor informationandexternalvalidation—youwill miss out on the opportunity to mine the potential of your ownmind.

Recognizewhenyou’retuningintothestreamforthewrongreasons.Weoftenlooktoourdevicesforasenseofreassurance.Becomemoreawareoftheinsecuritythatpullsyouawayfromthepresent.Youcannotimaginewhatwillbeifyouareconstantlyconcernedwithwhatalreadyis.

Createwindowsofnon-stimulationinyourday.Makethistimesacredanduse it tofocusonaseparate listof twoor three things thatare important toyouoverthelongterm.Usethistimetothink,todigestwhatyou’velearned,

andtoplan.

Listentoyourgutasmuchasyoulistentoothers.Withallthenewsourcesofcommunicationandamplification,don’t letyourselfbepersuadedby thevolumeof themasses.Nothing should resonatemore loudly thanyourownintuition.

Stay open to the possibilities of serendipity. The most importantconnections—whether with people, ideas, or mistakes that lead to keyrealizations—often spring from unexpected circumstances. By being fullypresentwhereyouare,you letchance (and thecuriousuniversewe live in)workitsmagic.

You are the steward of your ownpotential.The resourceswithin you—andaround you—are only tapped when you recognize their value and developwaystousethem.Whateverthefutureoftechnologymayhold, thegreatestleaderswillbethosemostcapableoftuningintothemselvesandharnessingthefullpoweroftheirownminds.

SCOTTBELSKYisAdobe’sVicePresidentofCommunityandCo-Founder&HeadofBehance,theleadingonlineplatformforcreativestoshowcaseanddiscovercreativework.Scotthasbeencalledoneofthe“100MostCreativePeopleinBusiness”byFastCompany,andistheauthoroftheinternationalbestsellingbook,MakingIdeasHappen.HeisalsoaninvestorandadvisorforseveralcompaniesincludingPinterestandUber.

→www.scottbelsky.com

KEYTAKEAWAYS

–

FindingFocusinaDistractedWorld

DEFENDYOURCREATIVETIMEBook time on your calendar for uninterrupted, focused work—andrespectthoseblocksoftimeasyouwouldanyclientmeeting.

FOCUSWHENYOU’REFRESHTackle the projects that require “hard focus” early in your day. Self-control—andourabilitytoresistdistractions—declinesasthedaygoeson.

KILLTHEBACKGROUNDNOISETurnoffyourphone,e-mail,andanyappsunrelatedtoyourtask.Eventhe presence of background activity (and temptation) can drain yourfocus.

MAKEPROGRESSVISIBLEMarkingprogressisahugemotivatorforlong-termprojects.Makeyourdaily achievements visible by saving iterations, postingmilestones, orkeepingadailyjournal.

GIVEYOURBRAINABREAKAlternatechallengingcreativeworkwithmore“mindless”taskstogiveyourbraintimetorestandrefuel.

TAPINTOTRANSITIONALMOMENTSTake a break from checking your smartphone during transitionalmoments,andopenyourselfuptoopportunityandserendipity.

Getmoreinsightsandthedesktopwallpaperat:

→www.99u.com/focus

Technologyshouldbeatool,butifwedonotkeepourwitsaboutus,itcaneasilybecomeourtaskmaster.AsWIREDmagazineco-founderKevinKellyhaswritten,“Everynewtechnologywillbiteback.Themorepowerfulitsgifts,themorepowerfullyitcanbeabused.”Ourcurrentrelationshipwithtechnologyisfraught.Wefeeloverwhelmedandoutofcontrol.Wedreamofdeclaring“e-mailbankruptcy”ormaybe“goingoffthegrid.”Butwearealsoaddictedandentranced—constantlyloggingontoshareoureverythought,image,andidea.

It’seasytoblamethetools,buttherealproblemisus.Ratherthandemonizingnewtechnologiesunnecessarilyorchampioningthemblindly,wemustbegintodevelopasubtlersensibility.

Wemustaskhardquestionslike:Whyarewedriventouseourtoolssocompulsively?Whatwoulditmeantoapproache-mailandsocialmediamindfully?Howdoesbeingtetheredtoourdevicesimpactourphysicalbodies—andevenourimaginations?

Inthisneweraoftechnologicalinvention,questioninghowwework—whichbehaviorsareproductiveandwhicharedestructive—isanessentialpartofthecreativeprocess.

MAKINGE-MAILMATTER–

AaronDignan

Inboxzero.Itsoundsprettygood,doesn’tit?Andwhynot—wesendandreceivemoree-mailtodaythaneverbefore,andthatvolumecontinuestoincreasewitheachpassingyear.ArecentstudybytheMcKinseyGlobalInstitutefoundthattheaverageknowledgeworkerspends28percentofhisorherworkweekeitherwriting,reading,orrespondingtoe-mail.12Nomatterwhatkindofworkyoudo,chancesareyouspendfartoomuchenergydealingwithyourinbox.As a result, many of us are on a permanent mission to reduce our e-mailworkload,andthishastranslatedintoabitofane-mailefficiencycraze.Thatdesire has been fueled by literally hundreds of tools, techniques, services,plug-ins,andextensionstohelpyoumanageyoure-mail.Asaresult,e-mail“best practices” are getting pretty exhausting to follow. According toproductivity thought leaders, tomasteryoure-mail,youneed todomost (ifnotall)ofthefollowing:

Labelyoure-mailsforfasterretrievalSetuprulessothatyoure-mailcansortitselfArchiveallofyoure-mailssothatyoucanfocusColorcodeyoure-mail,forvisualcuestopriorityUsearemindertoolsothatimportante-mailchainsresurfaceConverte-mailintotasks,sothatnothingslipsthroughthecracksTracke-mail,soyoucanseewhen/whereitgetsreadCreatee-mailtemplatessothatyoucanrapidlysendcommonmessagesUnsubscribefromexcessnewslettersfrequentlyLimityoure-mailstofivesentencesorlessUseasocialplug-insothatyoucanseethefacesandfactsbehindyoure-mails

How has it come to this? Why is e-mail such a complex communication

channel? The reason is that e-mail has become our primary input/outputmechanism for conversation, ideas, reminders, information, events, video,images,anddocuments.Inourphysicalabsence,itisadigitalrepresentationof us, a permanent location for the rest of theworkingworld to drop theirneedsatourfeet.

Becauseofthis,oure-mailrepresentsasortofdigitalextensionofourbrain.Sure, socialmediaandmobilehavedrawnsomeof thisattentionandvolume (and for the next generation perhaps they’ll grab it all), but thatdoesn’t change the fact thateachofuswill alwaysmaintainadigital inboxsomewhere,andthat’sgoingtobewheretheactionis.Thebottleneckoccursbecauseourdigitalselves—you@gmail.com—canhandlefarmoreinputthanourphysicalselves.Andshortofdramaticincreasesinartificialintelligence,we’regoingtoneedtosolveforthedifferenceourselves.

WhenIthinkaboutmyinboxasanextensionofmybrain,thenotionofinbox zero becomes both more meaningful and more elusive. A rush to acleaninboxmightleavemeempty,ifthee-mailsthemselvesdon’ttriggerthedevelopmentandprogressionofmyideasandgoals.Putmoresimply,Idon’twant tosimplybeatbackmye-maileveryday likesomepointlessenemy.Iwanttoensurethatthetimespentwithmye-mailaddsuptosomething—thatithelpsmeachievemore.Afterall,whyamIreadingandwritingallthise-mailinthefirstplace?!

Witheache-mailthatarrives,thereisamomentwhenyoumustdecidehow to contextualize the message: Is this something I need to know?Somethingthatrequiresanurgentresponse?SomethingIneedtocomebacktolater?Somethingthatafriendmightenjoy?Somethingthatrequiresaction?Something that requires thought and reflection? And what other e-mails,ideas,tasks,andprojectsalreadyinplaymightitrelateto?Tomakethemostofyourinbox,Irecommendthreesimplesteps:

KNOWYOURCOMPLEXGOALS

Manyofushavearunninglistofthingswe’dliketoaccomplish,andthevastmajorityof these thingsaresimple tasks.Organizedesk.E-mailFredaboutthe deadline. Send invoice. Above that, we have an ever-evolving list ofobjectives, plans, and aspirations that are harder towrap our heads aroundbecause they require a host of complex actions and involve multiplemilestonesovertime.

These complex goals are elusive, subject to the ebb and flow of ourtime,energy,andopportunities.Someofuswanttowriteabook.Otherswant

to visit Peru. Still others want to meet a personal idol. Future businesses,charities, and even relationships get lost in this amorphous place simplybecausethesethingsaredifficult toattackindiscrete tasksdayafterday.Inordertomakeyourinboxacatalysttoachievethesegoals,you’vegottoputtheminyourlineofsight.Everyfourmonthsorso,Iidentifymytwoorthreecomplexgoalsandtapealistofthemtomydeskasaconstantreminder.

CONNECTTHEDOTS

Anye-mailyoureceivemightbeastepping-stonetoyourgoal,dependingonthesubjectandthesender.Byknowingyourcomplexgoalsandkeepingthemfrontandcenterinyourmind,youcanstarttoseerelationshipsandpotentialinthecontent,people,andopportunitieshittingyourinbox.

Don’t mindlessly blast through your inbox—give each message thatextra moment of careful consideration to see how it might relate to youroverallgoals.Whocouldyousharethiswith?Whatcouldyousaythatwouldmovetheballforward?Isthisanopportunitytoaskforhelporadvice?Isthispersonapossiblechampion foryou?With that inmind,youcan label, file,forward, respond, and archivewith a new kind of purpose—an eye on thelong-termwhileyoukeepyourheadabovewater.

LETTHINGSGO

Ifyou’relikeme,youhavefartoomanythingsyouwanttodo,read,see,test,andexperience.Your inbox isa treasure troveofpossibilities.Toacreativemind,that’sveryenticing.It’seasyforanoptimisttokeepfifty,ahundred,orevena thousande-mailshovering in their inbox in thehopes that, somedaysoon, they’llget achance togiveeachopportunity theprecious time that itdeserves.Butguesswhat?That’snevergonnahappen.

Themost importantrule inachievingyourgoalsviayour inboxis thatdistractingopportunitieshavetodieforyourmostimportantgoalstolive.Asyoumovethroughyourinbox,ifanideaoropportunityiscatchingyoureyeandaskingforyourfocus,thinkhardaboutwhetherpursuingitwillhelpyouachieveyourcomplexgoals. Ifnot,or ifyou’renotsure,declinegraciouslyandlivetofightanotherday.Ifit’strulythegame-changingopportunitythatyouroptimisticinnervoicesaysitis,chancesareitwillcomeyourwayagainoneday.

AARONDIGNANistheCEOofthedigitalstrategyfirmUndercurrent,whereheadvisesglobalbrandsandcomplexorganizationslikeGE,American

Express,FordMotorCompany,andtheCooper-Hewittontheirfutureinanincreasinglytechnophilicworld.HeisalsotheauthorofGameFrame:UsingGamesasaStrategyforSuccess.

→www.undercurrent.com

USINGSOCIALMEDIAMINDFULLY–

LoriDeschene

Youcanleverageittomakenewcontactsorexpandyourbusiness.Youcanuseittoshowcaseyourexpertise,sharewhatyou’velearned,orlearnfrompeopleyouadmireandrespect.Youcanuseittostayinformed,entertained,andconnected.Youcanevenfindinspirationin140charactersorless.Psychologists suggest that social media appeals to such a wide range ofpeople because it fulfills ourmost fundamental needs, including a sense ofbelongingandself-esteem.Weallwant to feel likewe’repartof somethinglargerthanourselves,andweallwanttobelievethatwhatwedomatters.

Still,whilesocialmediahelpsusengageandexpandourworldasneverbefore, it also presents a number of new challenges. Aswith any tool, wemustbecarefultouseitforourbenefitandnotourdetriment.

LOGGINGONWITHINTENTION

Purposefulactionrequiresclearintentions.Butwe’veallloggedontoasocialnetworkwithout them.Wemayhavebeenprocrastinatingand lookingforadistraction,orfeelingangry,annoyed,orfrustratedandseekingtoescapethatfeeling.Researchshowsthatweactuallygetasmallrushofendorphins—thesamebrainchemicalsweenjoyaftercompletingintenseexercise—whenwereceive a new message. Talking about ourselves also triggers the rewardcenter of our brains, making it even more compelling to narrate our dailyactivities.13

Whatever our reasons for turning to social media, we have abundantopportunitytodoitnowthatmostofuscarrypowerfulmini-computersinourpurses or pockets. We’re always connected, always ready to discover,consume, and share information. If something’s trending,wewant to knowaboutit.Ifsomeonesharessomething,wewanttoseeit.Andifweeverstepawayfromthestreamforawhile,wefeelevenmorepressuretocatchuponeverythingoncewe’vereturned.

Withoneeyeonourgadgets,we’reunabletogiveourfullattentiontowhoandwhat is in frontofus—meaning thatwemissouton thedetailsofourlives,ironically,whilerespondingtoourfearofmissingout.

Formanyof us,mindlessness is the default state. It takes a concertedeffort to bemindfulwith socialmedia—tobe proactive insteadof reactive.Whenwe’remindful,we’reawareofwhywe’reloggingon,andwe’reabletofullydisconnectwhenwe’vefollowedthroughwithourintention.We’reableto engage authentically andmeaningfully, but we’re not dependent on thatconnectioninawaythatlimitsoureffectivenessandoursenseofpresence.

BECOMINGAWARE

In order to change our relationship to socialmedia,we need to understandhowwe’remotivatedtouseitandwhy.Withoutself-awareness,weareatthemercyofour screensand feeds,pulled toward themfor instantgratificationwhenotherchoicesmightbettermeetouractualneeds.

We can start developing self-awareness by setting boundaries for howandwhenwe use our technology, and then checking inwith our intentionswhenwefeelcompelledtouseitdifferently.Thiscouldmeansigningononlyatcertainpredeterminedtimesandaskingourselveskeyquestionsifwefeeldrawn toward our gadgets in between those times. Those questions mightinclude:

Isitnecessarytosharethis?Willitaddvaluetomylifeandforotherpeople?CanIsharethisexperiencelatersoIcanfocusonlivingitnow?AmIlookingforvalidation?IstheresomethingIcoulddotovalidatemyself?AmIavoidingsomethingIneedtodoinsteadofaddressingwhyIdon’twanttodoit?AmIfeelingbored?IstheresomethingelseIcoulddotofeelmorepurposefulandengagedinmyday?AmIfeelinglonely?HaveIcreatedopportunitiesformeaningfulconnectioninmyday?AmIafraidofmissingout?Isthegratificationofgivingintothatfearworthmissingoutonwhat’sinfrontofme?AmIoverwhelmingmyself,tryingtocatchup?CanIletgoofyesterday’sconversationandjointoday’sinstead?CanIusethistimetosimplybeinsteadoflookingforsomethingtodotofillit?

DoIjustwanttohavemindlessfunforawhile?

(Thatlastoneisperfectlyvalid—solongasweknowwhatwe’redoing,andweconsciouslychoosetodoit.)

PURPOSE,ESTEEM,ANDMEANINGFULCONNECTION

Part of mindfulness as it pertains to social media is recognizing andaddressingourinstincttouseitcompulsively.Theothersideoftheequationischoosingtouseitconsciouslytohelpfulfillallthoseneedsweinstinctivelywanttomeet—forothersandourselves.

Ifsocialmediaplaysaroleinyourbusiness,asitdoesformanyofus,your involvement might hinge around various objectives. If you’re feelingfrustrated with your progress toward your goals, it’s tempting to focus onwhat you lack that other people seem to have, to obsess over followers,engagement,traffic,oranyotherbenchmark.Therealityisthatnumbersdon’tnecessarily measure success, and they’re certainly not a requirement forfulfillment.

SomeofthemostsuccessfulpeopleIknowhaveslowlynurturedsmall,engagednetworksofpeoplewhoprovidetremendousvaluetoeachother.Allof the most fulfilled people I know focus more on the quality of theirconnectionsthanthequantityofthem.Theymakeitaprioritytorevealtheirauthenticselfinsteadofstrugglingtobuildandmaintainapersona.Theytaketheir connections to ever-deepening levels by partnering online,meeting atevents offline, and giving those people their full attention when they doconnect.Andtheyrememberthatbehindeveryprofessionalmission,there’sapersonalpurpose.

Whenwe focuson fulfillingour coreneedsandhelpingothersdo thesame, we feel more satisfied and, consequently, are more effective. Withevery meaningful, mutually beneficial engagement, we reinforce our self-esteem, our sense of belonging, and our sense of purpose, enabling moregrowthandconnection.Itbecomesaself-perpetuatingcycle.

In order to do this, you need to challenge the worries that keep youreacting compulsively instead of engaging consciously: the fear that you’remissing out on connections or information available somewhere else; theconcernthatyou’renotreallybeingheard;orthesuspicionthatotherpeoplearesomehowdoingbetterandyou’regettingleftbehind.

The reality is thatwe’reall in the sameboat.We’reallnavigating the

increasing number of online tools at our disposal, sometimes feelingoverwhelmed by the sheer volume of people around us and the barrage ofinformationweneedtomanageeveryday.We’realllearninghowandwhentosetboundaries,oreventakecompletebreakstorenewandrecharge.Andwe’re all discovering that socialmedia provides countless opportunities forpersonalandprofessionalgrowth.

Socialmediacanhaveaprofoundimpactonyourlifeifyouletit—butthepowerofanytoolliesintheintentionsofitsuser.

LORIDESCHENEisthefounderoftinybuddha.com,acommunityblogaboutwisdomthatfeaturesstoriesandinsightsfromreadersallovertheglobe.Sherunsthesiteasagroupeffortbecauseshebelievesweallhavesomethingtoteachandsomethingtolearn.SheisalsotheauthorofTinyBuddha:SimpleWisdomforLife’sHardQuestions.

→www.tinybuddha.com

Q&A:

RECONSIDERINGCONSTANTCONNECTIVITY

–

withTiffanyShlain

Asafilmmaker,TiffanyShlainhasbeenthinkingdeeplyabouttheimpactoftechnologyandconnectivityonourculture,ourrelationships,andourbrainsforovertwodecades.Adigitalpioneer,shefoundedtheWebbyAwardsandintroducedtheconceptof“cloudfilmmaking.”Whilesheisthefirsttoappreciatethetremendouspoweroftheweb,sheisalsoanadvocateofjudiciouslydisconnecting.Wespokewithheraboutthecreativebenefitsof“resettingourbrains.”

You’vesaid,“We’vecreatedaworkenvironmentthatmirrorsourstreamofconsciousness.”Canyouexplainwhatyoumeant?Alloftheseformsofcommunicationareextensionsofus.Goingbackto[thevisionary philosopher of communication theory] Marshall McLuhan:everything isanextensionofourdesire forconnection.Wecouldn’t see farenough, we invented the telescope. We wanted to communicate acrossdistances, we invented the telephone. Then, we wanted to connect witheveryone and share all these ideas, and we invented the Internet. We’vecreated this global brain that is verymuch an extension of our ownbrains.And because it’s an extension of us, it’s good and it’s bad—becausewe’reboth good and bad.We’re both focused and distracted. So I think the realproblemisn’tthetechnology.Ithinkweneedtoevolvetoknowwhentoturnitoff.

Youhavearegularpracticeofunpluggingcalleda“technologyshabbat.”Canyoudescribewhatyoudo?

MyhusbandandIhadtriedtounplugatvariouspointsinourrelationship,butwecouldneverquitedoit.Then,whenmyfatherwasdying,Istartedtothinkseriouslyabouttimeandfamily—howtoreallybepresent—anditmademe

wanttotakeunpluggingseriously.Sowemadeadecisionasafamilythatwewoulddoiteveryweek.

We’renotsuperreligious,butweareJewishandwecelebrateShabbat—theseventhdayoftheJewishweek,thedayofrest.SoFridaynightweturnoffeveryscreeninaveryritualisticway.Whenwestart,welightcandles,allthecellphonesgooff, theTVgoesoff,andthecomputersgooff.Andthenwe’reofflineforallofSaturdayuntilaftersunset.

Shabbat is a very old idea. If you really look at what some of thescholars from a long time agowrote about it, it’s as though they’re talkingabouttoday.Theideaisthatonedayaweek,youneedtogetyourmindinadifferentmode,youneedtonotwork.Everyweek,yourbrain—andyoursoul—needstobereset.

Yoursoulneedstobereset.That’sagreatmetaphor.

It’s likehitting the resetbuttononmysenseofbalance. Ithas justchangedmylifeprofoundly.ItelleveryoneIknowtotryit.Ifeelmorepresentwiththe people I care about, and alsomore grounded andmore creative. Somepeople say, “Oh, on vacations, I unplug.” But when do vacations happen?Onceortwiceayear.There’ssomethingabouttheweeklypracticeofgettingadifferentmodeofexperiencingtheworldbackthat’sreallyimportant.

Doyouhaveotherrulesaboutusingtechnology?BeforeIstartedthetechnologyshabbats,mybrainwashurtingatnight.Forawhile,Iwasusingmycellphoneasmyalarmclock,butthenitwaseasytocheck other things. Now, I don’t bring technology into the bedroom. Youshouldn’t be checkingyour e-mails before yougo to sleep.Yourbraingetsoverstimulated.Youneedtojustunwindyourmind.

I’m also a big believer of curating who you follow on social media.You’re letting those people into your brain and they’re going to influenceyourthoughts.IfindthatIevendreamaboutsomeofthepeopleIfollow.Weneedtobereallymindfulofwhoweletintoourstreamofconsciousness.

You’veusedaSophoclesquote—“Nothingvastentersthelifeofmortalswithoutacurse”—totalkabouttheimpactoftheInternet.

Myfather [LeonardShlain]wasawriterandheused thatquote todescribeliteracy. But I like to use it to describe the Internet, too. This is a vast,amazing technology that’s connecting every mind on the planet, so there’s

goingtobealotofgood,buttherearealsogoingtobealotofthingswelose.

That’swhyallofmyprojectsarereallyaboutgettingpeopletostopforamomentintheirbusylivesandjusttalkaboutthecurseand talkaboutthegood.Because it’sapositiveandanegative. It feels like thereare somanypeoplewhothinkthattechnologywillruincivilizationorwhothinkthatit’sthebest thing in theworld. I’mmore in themiddle. I feel like thereareallthese great things about it, and there are also some things that I’mworriedabout.So let’s talk aboutwhatwe’reworried about. I believe that oncewestarthavingthatconversation,itwillchangethewaythatwedothings.

TIFFANYSHLAINisafilmmaker,artist,andfounderoftheWebbyAwards.Newsweekcalledheroneofthe“WomenShapingthe21stCentury.”HerlastfourfilmspremieredatSundance,includingheracclaimedfeaturedocumentary,Connected:AnAutoblogographyAboutLove,Death&Technology.Herbook,BrainPower:FromNeuronstoNetworks,waspublishedbyTEDBooks.

→www.tiffanyshlain.com

AWAKENINGTOCONSCIOUSCOMPUTING–

LindaStone

Informationoverload.Really?Blamingtheinformationdoesn’tserveus.It’smorelikeinformationover-consumption.Insomanyareasofourlives,we’veconsciouslylearnedtofilter.Inourdigitallives,however,we’restillyoungandinexperienced—particularlywithregardtoourphysicalrelationshipwithtechnology.Ourcurrentrelationshipwithourdevicesisadarkandtwistytaleofchronicstress, the autonomic nervous system, and compromised breathing. But itcouldbesomuchbetter.We’reusingtoday’stechnologiesasprosthetics forour minds, when the real opportunity is for these technologies to beprostheticsforourbeings.

One of the most significant lifestyle changes to happen over the lasttwentyyearsistheincreaseintheamountoftimeweeachspendinfrontofone screen or another: television, video games, computers,mobile devices.Bysomeaccounts,theaverageadultspendsovereighthoursadayinfrontofascreen.

Surveydatacollectedin2008suggestedthatadultscollectivelywatched9.8 billion hours of television over the course of a year. In further studiesusing actuarial tables, researchers determined that, for every hour oftelevisionwatched by an adult over the age of twenty-five, that adult’s lifeexpectancy was reduced by 21.8minutes. According to aNew York Timesarticlereportingontheresearch,“anadultwhospendsanaverageofsixhoursadaywatchingTVoverthecourseofalifetimecanexpecttolive4.8yearsfewerthanapersonwhodoesnotwatchTV.Theseresultsholdtrueevenforpeoplewhoexerciseregularly.”14

These researchers tell us that when we’re sedentary, our skeletalmuscles, especially in our lower limbs, do not contract, thus requiring lessfuel.Iwouldfurtherpostulatethatlymphandbloodaremorestagnant.Whichiswhystandingandtreadmilldesks,andlookingforopportunitiestostandor

walk during the course of the day, can contribute to supporting a healthierdigitallifestyle.

But thenegative impactof sitting is just the tipof the iceberg.Screentimealsofeedsintoaviciouscycleofchronicstressinawaythatmostofusdon’tevenrealize.

THESURPRISINGIMPACTOFSCREENAPNEA

In February 2008, after seven months of research, I wrote about aphenomenon I call e-mail apnea or screen apnea.15 Screen apnea is thetemporarycessationofbreathorshallowbreathingwhilesittinginfrontofascreen,whetheracomputer,amobiledevice,oratelevision.

To find out how widespread screen apnea was, I observed over twohundred people using computers and smartphones in offices, homes, andcafés.Thevastmajorityofthemwereholdingtheirbreath,orbreathingveryshallowly,especiallywhenresponding toe-mail.What’smore, theirposturewhile seated at a computer was often compromised, which only furthercontributedtorestrictedbreathing.

To explore the impact of this behavior, I calledDr.MargaretChesneyand Dr. David Anderson, then of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).Research conducted by Chesney and Anderson demonstrated that breath-holdingcontributedsignificantlytostress-relateddiseases.Thebodybecomesacidic;thekidneysbegintoreabsorbsodium;andtheoxygen,carbondioxide,andnitricoxidebalanceisundermined,whichthrowsoffourbiochemistry.

It turnsout thatnitricoxide,not tobeconfusedwith thenitrousoxideused in dental offices, plays an important role in our health. In a briefingdocumentpreparedfortheRoyalSocietyandAssociationofBritishScienceWriters, Pearce Wright writes, “The immune system uses nitric oxide infighting viral, bacterial and parasitic infections, and tumors. Nitric oxidetransmitsmessagesbetweennervecellsandisassociatedwith theprocessesoflearning,memory,sleeping,feelingpain,and,probably,depression.”16Itisalsoamediatorininflammation,whichisacontributortoobesity.

AsIresearchedtheliteratureandspokewithphysiciansandresearchersabout breath-holding, a relationship to the vagus nerve also emerged. Thevagus nerve is one of the major cranial nerves, whose primary job is tomediate the autonomic nervous system, which includes the sympathetic(“fight-or-flight”)andparasympathetic(“rest-and-digest”)nervoussystems.

Deepandregularbreathing,alsoreferredtoasdiaphragmaticbreathing,

helpstoquietthesympatheticnervoussystemandallowstheparasympatheticnervous system—which governs our sense of hunger and satiety, therelaxationresponse,andmanyaspectsofhealthyorganfunction—tobecomemoredominant.

Conversely, shallow breathing, breath-holding, and hyperventilatingtrigger thesympatheticnervoussystem towarda fight-or-flight state. In thisstate, ourheart rate increases, our senseof satiety is compromised, andourbodiesgearupforthephysicalactivitythat,historically,accompaniedafight-or-flight response. But when the only physical activity is sitting andrespondingtoe-mail,we’resortof“alldressedupwithnowheretogo.”

Our bodies are tuned to be impulsive and compulsive when we’re infight-or-flight.We also become tuned to over-consume. In this state,we’relessawareofwhenwe’rehungryandwhenwe’resated.Wereachforeveryavailableresource,fromfoodtoinformation,asifit’sourlastopportunity—pullingoutour smartphonesagainandagain to check for e-mail, texts, andmessages.

Research from the Life and Health Sciences Research Institute inPortugal suggests a possible explanation: sustained stress causes us to fallback on familiar routines. The part of our brain associated with decision-makingandgoal-directedbehaviorsshrinksandthebrainregionsassociatedwithhabitformationgrowwhenwe’reunderchronicstress.17

WHEREDOWEGOFROMHERE?

Keepinmind:it’snotthe“what,”thetechnology,thatisthecoreissuehere.It’sthe“how”—howareweusingthattechnology?

A beginningmusician is awkwardwith an instrument and doesn’t yetknow how to properly breathe, sit, or standwhile playing.An experiencedmusicianhas learnedhow tousebreath andposture to properly control theinstrument. During my investigations in 2008, I noticed that musicians,dancers, athletes, andmilitary test pilots—thosewho had learned breathingtechniquesforperformance—didnothavescreenapnea.

Diaphragmatic breathing, Buteyko breathing1, martial arts, and yoga(pranayama) breathing techniques all have the potential to soothe us, toactivatemoreparasympatheticdominance,andtohelpourbodiesmaintainahealthy,regulatedautonomicresponse.

Icallthenewsetofskillsweneedtolearninorderto“embody”whenwe use technology, Conscious Computing. We need to awaken to the

physiologyof technologyandcultivateanewsetofskillsrelatedtopostureandbreathing.Inanembodiedstate,wecanreclaimourabilitytomanageourattention, to think clearly and creatively, and to feel energized and fullyengaged.

LINDASTONEisaformerseniorhigh-technologyexecutive,andcurrentlyawriter,speaker,advisor,andconsultantfocusedontrendsandtheirstrategicandconsumerimplications.Shecoinedthetermscontinuouspartialattention,e-mailapnea,screenapnea,andconsciouscomputing.HerworkandarticlesonherworkhaveappearedintheNewYorkTimes,Newsweek,TheEconomist,TheBostonGlobe,HarvardBusinessReview,andonhundredsofblogs.

→www.lindastone.net

1Buteykohelpspeoplewithdisorderedbreathingpatterns—suchaspanicbreathing,mouthbreathing,ordrycoughingtoretrainthemselvestouseanormalbreathingpatternatalltimes.(“WhatIsButeyko?”ButeykoBreathingAssociation,accessedDecember17,2012,http://www.buteykobreathing.org/involve/.)

RECLAIMINGOURSELF-RESPECT–

JamesVictore

YearsagotherewasapopularbooktitledRealMenDon’tEatQuiche.Itbilleditselfas“AGuidebooktoAllThatIsTrulyMasculine.”TheonlyadvicefromthebookthatIstillrememberis,“Realmendon’thaveansweringmachines—ifit’simportant,they’llcallback.”Thebook’sintentwashumorandmachismo,butthismaximinparticularhintsatalevelofself-respectthatismissingtodayinourrelationshipwithtechnologyanditstools.Wehavewelcomedtechnologysofullyandlovinglyintoourlivesthatwenolongertakethetimetostopandquestiontherelationship.Ourfunandwell-designedportableshavegot theirhookssodeepinusthattheyarechangingourmannersandourculture.Wenolongerseephonecalls,IMs,ora“ping”asan intrusion intoourpersonal timeandspace.Thegymandtheparkarenolongerplacesforpersonaldevelopmentorreflection,butjustanotherplaceto“checkin.”Itusedtobethattakingaphonecallwhileatthedinnertableoronthejohnwasseenasincrediblybadmannersorasignof mental illness. Now it’s commonplace and acceptable. Self-respect andetiquettearebeingnudgedoutofourlivesinlieuofconvenientconnection.Evenwork has no time or place and spills out all over our personal lives.We’ve been sold on the false idea that working from home or, worse, onvacationtohelpaharriedclientisagoodthing.Weareexpectedtobeoncallandavailable toeveryoneall the time.We’vebeen fittedwithanelectronicleashforbadbosses,demandingclients,andboredfriends.

Thecruxof thisproblem is thatweare losing thedistinctionbetweenurgentandimportant—noweverythinggetsheapedintheurgentpile.Andit’squitefranklyeasiertodothetrivialthingsthatare“urgent”thanitistodotheimportant things. Butwhenwe choose urgent over important,whatwe arereallychoosingisotherpeople’sprioritiesoverourown.Witheverynewe-mail,webecome like leaves in thewind, reacting toanybreezewilly-nilly.We quickly set aside our own concerns to attend to those of others. This

busyworkpullsourattentionfromthemeaningfulwork—takingtimetothink,reflect,andimagine.Yet,it’sthesepausesthatmakeourlivesbetterandlaythegroundworkforourgreatestaccomplishments.

Therearenoshortcuts.Andanytechnology-aidedshortcutrobsyouofthework.Recently,aconcernedfriendofminesuggestedanapp thatcouldhelpmymeditationpractice. I try tobeopen tonew ideas,but this seemedlike a choice between playing Guitar Hero and actually learning to playguitar.Maybetheworkofdevelopingagoodmeditationpracticeisworthit.Maybethat’sthepoint.MaybethereareskillsIcandevelop—unaided—thatwillmakemestronger.Whyadoptacrutchonlytoletyourmusclesatrophy?Whycheatyourselfoftheeffort?Thework,theprocess,isthegoal.Itbuildscharacter.Itmakesusbetter.

Using technology daily is a relatively new thing. It’s omnipresent,dependable(“Canyouhearmenow?”),andwerelyonitmoreandmore.Butwithnewtechnologycomesnewhabits,andaswithanyhabits—goodorbad—we need to be conscientious. Just as wewatch our intake of caffeine orcandyoralcohollestwebecomeaddicted,weneedtoconsciouslydevelopahealthyrelationshipwithourtools—orwewill loseperspectiveandbecomeslaves to them.AsMarshallMcLuhan theorized, “We shape our tools, andthereafterourtoolsshapeus.”Weletourtoolstaketheleadbecauseit’sthepathofleastresistance—theeasyway.Andtheeasywayisalwaysatrap.

We have become so trusting of technology that we have lost faith inourselves andour born instincts.There are still parts of life thatwedonotneed to “better” with technology. It’s important to understand that you aresmarterthanyoursmartphone.Toparaphrase,therearemorethingsinheavenandearththanaredreamtofinyourGoogle.Mistakesareapartoflifeandoften the path to profound new insights—so why try to remove themcompletely?Getting lostwhile driving or visiting a new city used to be anadventureandagoodstory.NowwejustfollowtheGPS.

To“knowthyself”ishardwork.Harderstillistobelievethatyou,withall your flaws, are enough—without checking in, tweeting an update, orsharing a photo as proof of your existence for the approval of your 719followers. A healthy relationship with your devices is all about takingownershipofyourtimeandmakinganinvestmentinyourlife.I’mnotcallingforanyradical,neo-Ludditemovementhere.Carvingouttimeforyourselfisaseasyasdoingonething.Walkyourdog.Strollyourbaby.Goonadate—without your handheld holding your hand. Self-respect, priorities,manners,andgoodhabitsarenotantiquatedidealstobetradedfortrends.

Not everyone will be capable of shouldering this task of personalresponsibilityorofbeingagoodexamplefortheirchildren.Buttheheroesofthe next generationwill be thosewho can calm the buzzing and jigging ofoutside distraction long enough to listen to the sound of their own hearts,those who will follow their own path until they learn to walk erect—nothunchedoverlikeaNeanderthal,palm-gazing.Intotraffic.

Youhaveachoiceinwheretodirectyourattention.Choosewisely.Theworldwillwait.Andifit’simportant,they’llcallback.

JAMESVICTOREisanauthor,designer,filmmaker,andeducator.HisworkhasbeenexhibitedattheMuseumofModernArtinNewYorkandisrepresentedinthepermanentcollectionsofmuseumsaroundtheglobe.HeteachesattheSchoolofVisualArtsinNYC.

→www.jamesvictore.com

KEYTAKEAWAYS

–

TamingYourTools

KEEPTHELONGVIEWINVIEWPost your complex, long-termgoals by yourworkstation to keep themtopofmindwhenprioritizingyourtasks.

BECONSCIOUSOFYOURBANDWIDTHPractice letting go of certain e-mail and social media conversations.Therewillalwaysbemoreopportunitiesthanyouactuallycantakeon.

CHECKYOURSELF,ORWRECKYOURSELFDistinguish between compulsive and conscious behaviors. Are youactingoutofboredomorblindhabitwhenyoucouldbeservingahighergoal?

HITTHERESETBUTTONMakearitualofunpluggingonaregularbasis.Turningeverythingoffislikehittingthe“reset”buttononyourmind—itgivesyouafreshstart.

DON’THOLDYOURBREATHBeconsciousofyourbody.Breathingdeeplyandregularlycandecreaseyourstresslevelsandhelpyoumakebetterdecisions.

INIMAGINATIONWETRUSTDon’t trust technologyoveryourowninstinctsand imagination.Doingbusyworkiseasy;doingyourbestworkishard.

Getmoreinsightsandthedesktopwallpaperat:

→www.99u.com/tools

Bringingincrediblecreativeprojectstolifedemandsmuchhardworkdowninthetrenchesofday-to-dayideaexecution.Geniustrulyis“1percentinspirationand99percentperspiration.”Butwecannotforgettheflipsideofthat99percent—it’simpossibletosolveeveryproblembysheerforceofwill.Wemustalsomaketimeforplay,relaxation,andexploration,theessentialingredientsofthecreativeinsightsthathelpusevolveexistingideasandsetnewprojectsinmotion.

Oftenthismeanscreatingaroutineforbreakingfromyourroutine,workingonexploratorysideprojectsjustforthehellofit,orfindingnewwaystohotwireyourbrain’sperspectiveonaproblem.Italsomeanslearninghowtoputyourinnercriticonmute,banishperfectionisttendencies,andpushthroughanxiety-inducingcreativeblocks.

Tostaycreativelyfit,wemustkeepourmindsengagedandonthemove—becausethegreatestenemyofcreativityisnothingmorethanstandingstill.

CREATINGFORYOU,ANDYOUALONE–

ToddHenry

“Whenwasthelasttimeyoumadesomethingthatsomeonewasn’tpayingyoufor,andlookingoveryourshouldertomakesureyougotitright?”WhenIaskcreativesthisquestion,theanswerthatcomesbackalltoooftenis,“Ican’tremember.”It’ssoeasyforcreativitytobecomeameanstoaverypracticalend—earningapaycheckandpleasingyourclientormanager.Butthattypeofworkonlyusesasmallspectrumofyourabilities.Totrulyexcel,youmustalsocontinuetocreateforthemostimportantaudienceofall:yourself.In her book The Artist’s Way, Julia Cameron discusses a now well-knownpractice thatshecalls“morningpages.”Shesuggestswriting threepagesoffree-flowing thought first thing in the morning as a way to explore latentideas, break through the voice of the censor in your head, and get yourcreative juices flowing. While there is nothing immediately practical orefficient about the exercise, Cameron argues that it’s been the key tounlocking brilliant insights for the many people who have adopted it as aritual.

I’veseensimilarbenefitsofthiskindof“UnnecessaryCreation”inthelivesof creativeprofessionals across theboard.Fromgardening topaintingwithwatercolorstochippingawayatthenextgreatAmericannovelonyourweekends, something about engaging in the creative act on our own termsseemstounleashlatentpassionsandinsights.

IbelieveUnnecessaryCreationisessentialforanyonewhoworkswithhisorhermind.

UnnecessaryCreationgivesyouthefreedomtoexplorenewpossibilitiesandfollowimpracticalcuriosities.SomeofthemostfrustratedcreativeprosI’ve encountered are thosewho expect their day job to allow them to fullyexpress their creativity and satisfy their curiosity. They push against theboundariessetbytheirmanagerorclientandfretcontinuouslythattheirbest

work never finds its way into the end product because of restrictions andcompromises. A 2012 survey sponsored by Adobe revealed that nearly 75percentofworkersintheUnitedStates,UnitedKingdom,Germany,France,andJapanfelttheyweren’tlivinguptotheircreativepotential.(IntheUnitedStates,thenumberwascloserto82percent!)

Obviously,there’sagapbetweenwhatmanycreativesactuallydoeachdayandwhattheyfeeltheyarecapableofdoinggivenmoreresourcesorlessbureaucracy.Butthoselimitationsaren’tlikelytochangeinthecontextofanorganization,wherethereislittletoleranceforriskandresourcesarescarcerthanever.Ifday-to-dayprojectworkistheonlyworkthatyouareengagingin,itfollowsthatyou’regoingtogetfrustrated.

Tobreakthecycle,keeparunninglistofprojectsyou’dliketoattemptinyourspare time,andsetasideaspecific timeeachweek(oreachday) tomake progress on that list. Sometimes this feels very inefficient in themoment,especiallywhentherearesomanyotherurgentprioritiesscreamingfor your attention, but it can be a key part of keepingyour creative energyflowingforyourday-to-daywork.

You’llalsowanttogetanotebooktorecordquestionsthatyou’dliketopursue, ideas thatyouhave,orexperiments thatyou’d like to try.Thenyoucanuseyourpre-definedUnnecessaryCreationtimetoplaywiththeseideas.AsStevenJohnsonexplainsinhisbookWhereGoodIdeasComeFrom,“Agood idea is a network. A specific constellation of neurons—thousands ofthem—fireinsyncwitheachotherforthefirsttimeinyourbrain,andanideapopsintoyourconsciousness.Anewideaisanetworkofcellsexploringtheadjacentpossibleofconnectionsthattheycanmakeinyourmind.”18

When you give yourself frequent permission to explore the “adjacentpossible”withnorestrictionsonwhereitleads,youincreasethelikelihoodofacreativebreakthroughinallareasofyourlifeandwork.

UnnecessaryCreationallowsyoutotakerisksanddevelopnewskillsthatcanlaterbeappliedtoyouron-demandcreating.Haveyouever felt likeyouwereinarut?Perhapsyoukeepmullingoverthesameideas,goingtothesamewellsforinspiration,oropeningthesametoolboxeverytimeyouhavetosolveaproblem.Yourtoolscanbecomedullandyoursensesnumbwhenyouconsistentlyapply thesameoldmethods.Yet, it’sdifficult to learnnewmethodsordevelopnewskillsinthemidstofyouron-demandworkbecauseyouarebeingpaidtodeliverpredictableresults.

In his bookTheHeartAroused, the British poetDavidWhytewrites,

“Take any step toward our destiny through creative action (it may be assimpleasliftingapenoverablanksheetofpaper),andweknowintuitivelythatwearegivingupwhatevercoverwehad.”19Thecreativeactisinherentlyriskybecauseitrequiresyoutostepoutintouncertainty.Whenyouhavetimescheduled forUnnecessaryCreation, you create a safe space to experimentwithnewwaysofworking.Yougettotryandfailwithoutdireconsequences.Youcancreatewhat’sinyourheadratherthanadaptingwhat’sinyourheadtosomeoneelse’sexpectations.

These acts of Unnecessary Creation grow your confidence in self-expression, and the skills you develop along theway become new tools inyourtoolboxthatcanbeappliedtoyoureverydaywork.

UnnecessaryCreation provides a forum for the pursuit of voice, and areminderthatyouarenot thesumofwhatyoumake.YouandIarenotmachines,andnomatterhowefficientwebecomeatdeliveringbrilliantwork,we need regular reminders of our capacity to contribute something unique.Weneedtostayintouchwiththeintrinsicdesiretostriveforthe“next”thathasdrivenprogressthroughouttheages.

Thetwentieth-centurymysticThomasMertonwrote,“Therecanbeanintenseegoisminfollowingeverybodyelse.Peopleareinahurrytomagnifythemselvesby imitatingwhat ispopular—and too lazy to thinkof anythingbetter.Hurryruinssaintsaswellasartists.Theywantquicksuccess,andtheyareinsuchahastetogetitthattheycannottaketimetobetruetothemselves.Andwhen themadness is upon them, they argue that their very haste is aspeciesofintegrity.”20

Mertonelegantlyarticulateshow thepressureof thecreate-on-demandworldcancauseustolooksidewaysatourpeersandcompetitorsinsteadoflookingahead.Theprocessofdiscoveringandrefiningyourvoicetakestime.UnnecessaryCreationgrantsyouthespacetodiscoveryouruniqueaptitudesand passions through a process of trial, error, and play thatwon’t often beafforded to you otherwise. Initiating a project with no parameters and noexpectationsfromothersalsoforcesyoutostayself-awarewhilelearningtolisten to and follow your intuition. Both of these are crucial skills fordiscoveringyourvoice.

It’s completely understandable if you’re thinking, “Butwait—I hardlyhavetimetobreathe,andnowyouwantmetocramsomethingelseintomyschedule, just for my own enjoyment?” It’s true that every decision aboutwhere we spend our time has an opportunity cost, and dedicating time toUnnecessaryCreationseemslikearemarkablyinefficientchoice.Intruth,it

isinefficient.

Consider, however, theopportunity cost of spendingyour life onlyonpragmatics.Youdedicateyourtimetopleasingeveryoneelseanddeliveringon their expectations, but you never get around to discovering your deeperaptitudesandcreativecapacities.Nothingisworththat.

TODDHENRYisthefounderofAccidentalCreative,acompanythathelpscreativesandteamsbeprolific,brilliant,andhealthy.Hisbook,TheAccidentalCreative:HowtoBeBrilliantataMoment’sNotice,offersstrategiesforhowcreativeproscanthriveinthecreate-on-demandmarketplace.

→www.accidentalcreative.com

TRAININGYOURMINDTOBEREADYFORINSIGHT–

ScottMcDowell

“Likeeverybeginner,Ithoughtyoucouldbeat,pummel,andthrashanideaintoexistence,”RayBradburywrote.“Undersuchtreatment,ofcourse,anydecentideafoldsupitspaws,turnsonitsback,fixesitseyesoneternity,anddies.”Sowhatdoyoudowhenyouhavetobecreativeandit’sjustnotcoming?Bradbury found a way. “In my early twenties I floundered into a word-associationprocessinwhichIsimplygotoutofbedeachmorning,walkedtomydesk,andputdownanywordorseriesofwords thathappenedalonginmyhead.”

TheLake.TheNight.TheCrickets.TheRavine.TheAttic.TheBasement.TheTrapdoor.TheBaby.TheCrowd.TheNightTrain.TheFogHorn.TheScythe.TheCarnival.TheCarousel.TheDwarf.TheMirrorMaze.TheSkeleton.

“Iwouldthentakearmsagainsttheword,orforit,andbringonanassortmentofcharacterstoweighthewordandshowmeitsmeaninginmyownlife.Anhourortwohourslater,tomyamazement,anewstorywouldbefinishedanddone.”21

Themostsuccessfulcreativemindsconsistentlylaythegroundworkforideas to germinate and evolve. They are always refining their personalapproach to hijacking the brain’s neural pathways, developing a tool kit oftrickstosparkthemindlikeflintonsteel.

DISENGAGEMENT,WANDERING,ANDREST

When you’re working on a sticky problem, the solution is oftendisengagement. Henry Miller’s advice for other writers was to exploreunfamiliarsectionsofthecityonbicycle.22ComposerSteveReichwouldride

thesubway,anotherkindofwandering.

Joel Gascoigne, the founder of Buffer, a social media sharing app,cultivateswhathecallsa“habitofdisengagement.”Inablogpost,“6ThingsIDo toBeConsistentlyHappy,” Joelwrites, “Igo forawalkat9:30p.m.,alongaroutewhichI’vedonemanytimesbefore.Sincetherouteisalreadydecidedandisthesameeverytime,Iamsimplywalkinganddoingnothingelse.Thispromptsreflectionandrelaxation.”

MusicianandproducerBrianEnoplacesahighpremiumonrest,sothatnewconnectionscanarise:

Thedifficultyofalwaysfeelingthatyououghttobedoingsomethingisthatyoutendtoundervaluethetimeswhenyou’reapparentlydoingnothing,andthoseareveryimportanttimes.It’stheequivalentofthedreamtime,inyourdailylife,timeswhenthingsgetsortedoutandreshuffled.Ifyou’reconstantlyawakework-wiseyoudon’tallowthattohappen.OneofthereasonsIhavetotakedistinctbreakswhenIworkistoallowthemomentumofaparticulardirectiontorundown,sothatanotheronecanestablishitself.23

Throughouthiscareer,Enohasusedagrabbagofapproaches toencouragethecreativeprocess:intentionallycombiningdisparateideas,usingunfamiliartools,anddevelopinganelaborateseriesofcreativeprompts.“Therearelotsofwaysthatyoucaninterferewithitandmakeitmoreefficient,”saysEno.

LIMITATIONSANDCONSTRAINTS

Sometimes embracing your limitations is the best route forward. GeorgeHarrison was staying at Sevenoaks, his parents’ bungalow in the Englishcountryside,whenhewrotehismostenduringBeatlestune:

Iwrote“WhileMyGuitarGentlyWeeps”atmymother’shouseinWarrington.IwasthinkingabouttheChineseIChing,theBookofChanges…theEasternconceptisthatwhateverhappensisallmeanttobe,andthatthere’snosuchthingascoincidence—everylittleitemthat’sgoingdownhasapurpose.“WhileMyGuitarGentlyWeeps”wasasimplestudybasedonthattheory.IdecidedtowriteasongbasedonthefirstthingIsawuponopeninganybook—asitwouldberelativetothatmoment,atthattime.Ipickedupabookatrandom,openedit,saw“gentlyweeps,”thenlaidthebookdownagainand

startedthesong.24

Similarly, many creative directors, designers, and architects often say theirbest work stems directly from specific client restrictions. Having a set ofparametersputsthebraininproblem-solvingmode;there’ssomethingtogrip.It may seem counterintuitive, but too big a playing field can muddle theresults.

FrankLloydWrightinsistedthatconstraintshistoricallyhaveresultedina flowering of the imagination: “The human race built most nobly whenlimitations were greatest and, therefore, when most was required ofimaginationinordertobuildatall.”25

Whetherornotthey’recreatedbyanoutsideclientoryouyourself,asetoflimitationsisoftenthecatalystthatsetscreativityfree.

PHYSICALPOISEANDCALM

What about the body’s relationship to creative insight?Anecdotal evidencesuggests that monitoring and replenishing your energy may well lead togreater creative output. Many of our brightest minds have used somecombinationofdailyspiritualorphysicalpreparation.PhotographerWilliamWegmanrideshisbikeasmanyas twentymilesadaywhileNationalBookAwardwinnerJohnIrvingstilltrainslikeawrestleratageseventy.

Exercise sharpens brain activity, reports Newsweek: “Almost everydimensionofcognitionimprovesfromthirtyminutesofaerobicexercise,andcreativityisnoexception.Thetypeofexercisedoesn’tmatter,andtheboostlastsforatleasttwohoursafterward.”26

Regular sleep doesn’t hurt, either.According to aHarvard study,withproper sleep and incubation, “People are 33 percent more likely to inferconnectionsamongdistantlyrelatedideas.”27

A daily meditation practice is another kind of preparation. Oscar-winning actor Jeff Bridges and Grammy-winning musician Moby bothmeditateregularly.Atitsbest,meditationtrainsyourmindtobeattentiveandfocused,andit’scommonlyassumedtoreducestress.Overtime,meditationcanleadtobetteruseofthebrain’sfaculties,agreatersenseofcompassion,andincreasedsensitivitytotheinherentconnectionsbetweenideas.

InhisbookCatchingtheBigFish,filmmakerDavidLynchsuggeststhatcompaniescansolveproductivityproblemsbyadvocatingmeditation:

Insteadofinstillingfear,ifacompanyofferedawayforeveryoneinthebusinesstodivewithin—tostartexpandingenergyandintelligence—peoplewouldworkovertimeforfree.Theywouldbefarmorecreative.Andthecompanywouldjustleapforward.Thisisthewayitcanbe.It’snotthewayitis,butitcouldbethatwaysoeasily.28

Ultimately, there’snodefinitiveway tomanufacture insight. It’s situational,anditcomesdowntowhatworksforyou.Whatwedoknowforsureisthatwhenever your brain senses a pattern and gets too comfortable, creativitystagnatesandit’stimetotrysomethingelse.

Intheend,preparingforinsightisallaboutbeingpersistent,throwingawrenchintotheworksfromtimetotime,andalwaysworkingtostayonestepaheadofcomplacency.

SCOTTMCDOWELLworkswithnonprofitandsocially-mindedbusinessleaderstosolvebigproblemsandgenerateorganizationalpotency.HerunstheconsultingandexecutivesearchfirmCHMPartners.AndyWarholwasright:“Makingmoneyisartandworkingisartandgoodbusinessisthebestart.”ScottonceproducedMTV’s120MinutesandcurrentlyhostsTheLongRallyonWFMU.

→www.chm-partners.com

Q&A:

TRICKINGYOURBRAININTOCREATIVITY

–

withStefanSagmeister

DesignerandtypographerStefanSagmeisterisknownforhisunorthodoxapproachtocreativity.Whetherit’swritingamessageonthegroundofapublicsquareusing250,000coinsortakingayear-longsabbaticaleverysevenyears,Sagmeisterbringsauniquelevelofmeticulouscraftandthoughtfulnesstohiswork.AsevidencedbyhisbookThingsIHaveLearnedinMyLifeSoFar,he’salsopartialtoextractinglessonsfromhislifeexperience.Wespokewithhimabouthowbrainhackscanleadustoahamomentsandwhynothingismoreimportantthanmappingbigcreativeprojectsrightintoyourdailyschedule.

Youhavetoproducegreatcreativeworkonadailybasis.Doyouhaveanyritualsforfindingarhythm?I trytodothemostdifficult thingsearlyinthemorning.IfIstartwitheasystuff,meaning if Istartcheckingandansweringe-mail, it’sverydifficult tothenconvincemyselftododifficultthingslateron.

Whatdoyoudowhenyouneedabreakthrough?

OnetrickIusealotistothinkaboutaproblemfromatotallydifferentpointofview.It’satechniquefromEdwarddeBono,aphilosopherfromMalta.Hewroteanumberofbooksaboutthenatureofthinkingandhowtogetbetteratit.

Theideaisthatyoutakeastartingpointthathasnothingtodowiththeprojectitself.IusedthistechniquefortheidentitywedidforamusiccenterinPortugal—CasadaMusica.Itcameoutofthepointofviewofacar.Iwaslookingoutfromaterrace,andIsawacar,andthenIstartedthinkingabout

theidentityfromtheperspectiveofacar.Let’ssee,it’smoving.It’smoving,oh,maybeitgoesfromonethingtoanother.Theperspectiveneedstochangetheidentity,andsoforth.Intheend,ofcourse,nobodycouldtellthattheCasadaMusicaidentitycamefromcars.

The reason that de Bono thinks thisworks is because our brain is soincrediblygoodatthinkinginrepetition.Ifyouwanttocomeupwithanewidea, the first thing you can always do is think of something that you didbefore or something that you’ve seen before. So startingwith someone, orsomewhere, else is justbasically a trick to fool thebrainoutof thinking inrepetition.

Whataboutcreativeconstraints?Doyouthinktheycanhelp?

I think that any kind of limitation is useful. Any kind of limitation that isclear,andthat’stherefromthebeginning.BrianEnohasthiswonderfullittlequote about the electric guitar. He says the electric guitar became thedominant instrument of the twentieth century simply because it’s such astupidinstrument.Itcandosoverylittle.Butitcandoafewthingsvery,verywell, and therefore it allows human nature to go to the edge of what’spossible.

You’remakingadocumentarycalledTheHappyFilm.Doyoufindthatexploringanothermediumlikefilmfeedsbackintoyourdesignprocessinusefulways?IfeelthemostsatisfiedifIworkonprojectswhereIknowabouthalfofwhatI’mdoingandIdon’tknowtheotherhalf.IfIgotoomuchinonedirection,meaningifIknowtoolittleaboutsomething,Igettooanxious.AndifIknowtoomuchaboutsomething,Igettoobored.

Howdoyoufindtimetoworkonthefilmamidallofyourclientprojects?

IhaveFridaysetasideasafilmday.Buttheworkwasquitedifficulttokeepup in thebeginningof the film,because therewasn’tany real structureandtherewas no forwardmomentum besidesme thinking about it.Now it hasbecomeeasierbecause thereareotherpeople involved,and thereare thingsthatneedtobedone—whetherIfeellikedoingthemornot.

Whenyouwereworkingonyourown,howdidyoustaymotivated?Well,IknowfrommysabbaticalsthatIhavetocarveouttimeandthattime

hastostayuntouchednomatterwhat.Okay,I’mgonnadoFridayfilmday.SoIwenttothecalendarandIcrossedoutallFridaysandeverysingledayhadafilm day in there. So when I have to schedule something four months inadvanceandsomebodywantstomeetmeonaFriday,Icansay,“No,Ican’tmeetyouonaFriday,youcanmeetmeonaThursday.”Now,I thinkthat’sprettymuch Planning 101.You put the things that you reallywant do intoyourcalendar.

There’s awonderful storyabout aNobelPrizewinner…Hewasaskedbysomecorporation to talkabout timeplanning.Hegetsup in frontof thegroupwithaglassjar,andhesays,“AllIcantellyouabouttimeplanning,Icanshowyouintwominutes.”Thenhetakesoutabunchofbigstonesandputsthemintothejar,fillingituptothetop,thenhetakesoutapocketfuloftinystonesandputsthemin,thenhepourssomesandin,andthenfinallyhepourssomewaterintothejar—andthat’showitallfits.

The moral was pretty clear, we have to put the big stones in first;otherwise,theotherstuffwon’tfit.

Sothebigstonesareourbigcreativeprojectsinthiscase?

Exactly,thestuffyoureallywanttodo.Ifyoudon’tputthosethingsintoyourcalendar and standby that time, it’s never going to get done.All the smallstuffwilltrickleinandtherewon’tberoom.

If youwant do projects that you really love, youhave to be aware ofhowdifficulttheyaretodo.ForalongtimeIwasn’tdoingcertainprojects,butIthoughtIwouldlovetodothemifIhadthetime.Then,whenIhadthetime,IavoideddoingthembecauseofalltheotherstuffthatIstillneededtodo,likee-mail.Andit’sjustsomucheasiertodoe-mailthantoactuallysitdownandthink.

I thinkweneed that self-awareness.Thatwedon’t have timebecauseit’s convenient not to have the time, because maybe we don’t want tochallengeourselves.

STEFANSAGMEISTERisaNewYork–basedgraphicdesignerandtypographerwhooperatesthedesignfirmSagmeister&WalshInc.HehasdesignedalbumcoversforLouReed,OKGo,TheRollingStones,DavidByrne,Aerosmith,andPatMetheny,andheistheauthorofThingsIHaveLearnedinMyLifeSoFar.

→www.sagmeister.com

LETTINGGOOFPERFECTIONISM–

ElizabethGraceSaunders

“Ican’tbeaperfectionistbecausenothingIdoiseverperfect,”wasmynot-so-self-awareresponsewhenoneofmymentorssuggestedthatImighthaveperfectionisttendencies.InthesevenyearssinceIreceivedthatfeedback—andcametounderstandshehadinfactdiagnosedmeperfectly—I’vegrappledwithhowtomanagethese“tendencies”sothattheydon’tunderminemyabilitytoproducegreatwork.I’vediscoveredthat,regardlessofourpatternsofbehaviorinthepast,wecanchoosetoactdifferentlyinthepresent—andthataconsciousdecisiontonotlet perfectionismcontrol usmakes a hugedifference in our ability to breakthroughourlimitsandenjoythecreativeprocess.

In case you’re wondering if you suffer from the same ailment thatplaguedmefordecades,hereareafewdefinitionsofperfectionism:

Apersonalitydispositioncharacterizedbyanindividualstrivingforflawlessnessandsettingexcessivelyhighperformancestandards,accompaniedbyoverlycriticalself-evaluationsandconcernsregardingothers’evaluations.29

Adispositiontoregardanythingshortofperfectionasunacceptable.30

Doeitherofthesesoundstrangelyfamiliar?

These definitions highlight the two primary mental patterns, idealismand judgment, that lead to the two central emotional states, fear and pride.From a perfectionist’s point of view, if you manage to force yourself intoproducing at the level you envisioned in your head, you feel on top of theworld.Ifyoucan’tmeasureuptothosestandards,you’recrushed.

Admittedly, this striving can lead to some pretty incredible work.Artists,writers,anddesignershaveproducedbreathtakinglyexecutedpiecesduetotheirrelentlesspursuitoftheideal.Butatwhatcost?

Anoveremphasisonperfectioncanleadtoenormousstress(thinkangryflare-upsorspontaneoustears).Atbest,itcanmakeyouhesitatetoimmerseyourself inanewproject.Atworst, thispatterncanleadtoyouabandoningyour creative pursuits because of the toll they take on you physically,mentally,andemotionally.

Ironically,perfectionismcanalsoinhibityourabilitytoreachyourfullpotential.Ifyourefusetoputyourselfinasituationwhereyoumightgiveanimperfect performance, you’ll prevent yourself from receiving the properfeedback,input,anddirectionnecessaryforadditionalgrowth.

Tohelpyouachievebreakthroughsinareaswhereperfectionismmaybeholdingyouback,I’veoutlinedtwocontrastingapproachesthatyoucantakeateachphaseofthecreativeprocess.Thecreativeperfectionistapproachcanhelp you identify if perfectionism stands in theway of your progress. Thecreativepragmatistapproachdemonstratesamoreeffectivewaytoproceed.

Inallcases,youarethe“I,”yourimportantcreativeworkisthe“piece,”and the ability to decide how you move forward lies within your control.Choosewisely.

STUCKATTHESTART

TheCreativePerfectionistApproach:Icannotstartmynewpieceuntiltheidealmoment,meaningIhavea largeuninterruptedblockof time,nootherdistractions,astronglevelofmotivationtoworkontheproject,andtheidealplanforhowtooptimizetheentireprocess.ThistypicallymeansthatIendupdoing nothing—and feeling horribly guilty about procrastinating—until Ihavenootherchoicebuttobegin.Thisforcesmetoproceedatafranticpace,stayingupallhoursofthenightandneglectingalmosteverythingelse.I’msofrustratedbecauseIknowIcoulddoabetterjobifIhadjuststartedsooner.

TheCreative PragmatistApproach: I know there will never be an idealtime to begin so I set aside time to get started on one part of the process.WhenIget to that time, regardlessofwhether I feel likedoing theworkorwhetheritseemslikethemosturgentpriorityatthemoment,IgetstartedonwhatIcandonow.Attheendofthatinitialstart,IdecidewhenIwillmoveforwardon theprojectagain. Iunderstand that thefirststageofworkingonthepiece ismessyand that theproject inevitablywill take longer andhavemore complexity than I initially anticipate. But that’s okay because I havetime to adapt and adjustmyplans and stillmeetmygoals and create goodwork.

LOSTINTHEMIDDLE

TheCreativePerfectionistApproach:Imustobsessovereverydetailofthepiece,regardlessofwhetheranyoneelsewillnotice.Thisleadsmetoreviseandeditmyselfateverystepinsteadofgivingmyselfpermissiontobangoutanimperfectfirstdraft.Also,wheneverIthinkofsomethingIcouldresearchin relation tomypiece, I delve into learningasmuchaspossible about thesubject,evenifIdonotreallyneedtheinformationandcouldneveruseallofit.Thisleadstomyspendinglotsandlotsoftimeonmypiecebutnothavingmuchinthewayoftangibleresultstoshowformyefforts.

IalsoendupfeelingreallyoverwhelmedbecauseIknowsomuchthatitmakesitdifficulttofocusandnarrowdownmypossibilities.ThismeansthatIoftenoverdothefirstpartofmycreativeprojectintermsoftimespentandattentiontodetail.ThenIcanbarelyskimthesurfaceofwhatIshoulddofortherestofthepiecewhenitcomesclosetocrunchtime.

The Creative Pragmatist Approach: I define the meaningful enddeliverablesand thenstart toclarify the intermediatesteps tocreate them. IlookathowmuchtimeIhavebetweennowandmyprojectedenddate.By“time”Imeanbothnumberofweeksandnumberofhoursduringthoseweeksto move this project forward. Then I allocate my time budget to theincrementalsteps,weightedbytherealityoftheminimumtimethatittakestocomplete the elements and also by the importance of that element to theoverallsuccessoftheproject.

Then,as Imove through theprocess, Ipushmyself tokeeppacewiththe goals I’ve set, producing good enough work within the time I have tospend and givingmyself permission to circle back if I still have additionalhours at the end.Thiswill ensure that I don’t over-invest in less importantitemsandthenbotchthefinish.

REFUSALTOFINISH

TheCreativePerfectionistApproach:IfIcanthinkofanythingmorethatIcouldpossiblydotoimprove,refine,oraddtothepiece,thenitisn’tdone.Iftheworkhasn’tattainedtheidealsetinmyheadatthestart,it’sinaccuratetosayit’scomplete.

TheCreativePragmatistApproach: Idefine“finished”ashavingat leastmet theminimumrequirements for thepieceandasknowing that I’vedonethebestIcouldgiventhetimeandresourcesallocatedtotheproject.Sayingsomething is complete doesn’t mean that it can’t be improved upon or

elaboratedoninthefuture.ItjustmeansthatIcansubmititandmoveontootherwork.

DREADOFFEEDBACK

TheCreativePerfectionistApproach:Ifsomeonepointsoutamistake,hasa different opinion, mentions something I didn’t include, or has anythingotherthanincrediblypositivethingstosayaboutapiece,Ifeelembarrassedand likea total failure. Iworry thatmyexpertiseand respect is inquestionandthatotherswillthinkI’mincompetentandanimpostor.

TheCreativePragmatistApproach:Iappreciatefeedbackbecauseithelpsmetotestandrefinemywork.ImayagreeordisagreewiththeinputandIcanchoosehowIrespondtoit.IfIneveropenmyselfuptoothers’insights,Imightmissoutonsomethingreallywonderful.Myworkisimprovedandmyworldisexpandedthroughtheinputofothers.

AFINALNOTEONLETTINGGO

As a recovering perfectionist myself, I completely understand that what Ihavedescribedas theCreativePragmatistApproachmaysound like(gasp!)settling. To a perfectionist, settling seems worse than not completing thepiece,whichiswhyperfectionistsoftenproduceverylittle.ButIreallywanttochallengeyou to look through theseexamplesagainand test themout inyourcreativeprocess.Myguessisthatyou’llfindyouproducefarmoreandfar better work withmuch less stress by aiming for less-than-perfect. Thisapproach allows you to recapture the energy that you typically waste onemotional angst so that you can focus it on the elements of the creativeprocessthatmattermost.

ELIZABETHGRACESAUNDERSistheauthorofThe3SecretstoEffectiveTimeInvestment:HowtoAchieveMoreSuccesswithLessStressandthefounderandCEOofRealLifeETimeCoaching&Training.Elizabethisdedicatedtoempoweringpeoplearoundtheworldtoaccomplishmorewithpeaceandconfidence.

→www.ScheduleMakeover.com

GETTINGUNSTUCK–

MarkMcGuinness

NovelistVikramSethoncefoundhimselfblockedafterwritingthefirsthundredpagesofastorysetinpost-independenceIndia.Inspiteofhisbesteffortstomovethestoryforward,itstubbornlyresisted,untilonedayherealizedhehadoverlookedtherealproblem:hesimplydidn’tknowenoughabouttheperiod.Onceheunderstoodthis,Sethswitchedfromwritingtoresearch,readingoldnewspapers, visiting key places, and interviewing people who had livedthroughtheera.Thisgavehimsomuchmaterialthathisplannedshortnovelgrewintoa1,500-pagedoorstop.Thefinishedwork,ASuitableBoy, landedhim a rumored $1.1 million advance and established him as a literarysuperstar.31

I find this story encouraging for two reasons: first, if you’rewrestlingwith a creative block, it’s a great reminder that even the stars get stuck;second, it shows that the solution can be surprisingly straightforward onceyouunderstandtheproblemcorrectly.

Facedwith a block, itwould have been easy for Seth to question hisabilitiesortokeepbanginghisheadagainstit.Butitturnedoutthattherewasnothingwrongwithhis literarytalents,andtryingharderat thewrongthingwasn’tgettinghimanywhere.Hesimplydidn’tknowenough,soheneededtolearnmore.Oncehedidthat,thestorystartedtoflowagain.

Thenext timeyouexperienceacreativeblock,resist the temptation todoubtyourself,ortoputinmoreblindeffort.Stopandaskyourselfwhatkindof block you are experiencing. Once you’re clear about the nature of theproblem,itwillbeeasiertosolveit.Tohelpyougetstarted,herearesixofthemostcommontypesofcreativeblock,withsolutionsforeach.

INSPIRATIONDROUGHTWhenworkingonalargecreativeproject,youmayreachapointwhereyourinitial inspiration runs dry. You find it harder and harder to muster anyenthusiasmforthework,letaloneoriginalideas.

TheAdventuresofTomSawyerisregardedasoneofthegreatAmericannovels, but at one point its author despaired of finishing it. In hisAutobiography,MarkTwaindescribesreachingapointinthestorywherehefeltunable togoon:“Mytankhadrundry.”Heabandonedit for twoyearsand turned his mind to other things. When he eventually picked up themanuscript again, he made the “great discovery” that the “tank” of hisimaginationhadrefilleditselfinthemeantime,andhewasabletocompletethe story. This discoverywas a turning point in Twain’swriting career: helearnedtowatchoutforthepointineachsubsequentbookwhenhistankrandry,andtotakeabreakbeforefinishingit.

TakealeafoutofTwain’sbook.Lookoutforthetelltalesignsthatyourtankisempty,andusethemasacuetotakeabreakandletyourunconscioustake the strain. Relax or apply yourself to a completely different type ofproject.Youmaynothavetwoyearstosetyourprojectasideifadeadlineislooming,butevenashortbreakcanworkwonderswhenyou’rerunninglowoninspiration.

EMOTIONALBARRIERCreativity can be intense. Faced with the unknown, youmay be scared ofwhatyou’lldiscoveror revealaboutyourself.Maybeyour subjectmatter ispainful,embarrassing,ordownrightweird.Whateveryou’retryingtoavoid,theonlyendproductisprocrastination.

When Iwas a student, the novelist JohnFowles spoke atmy college.When somebody asked if he had any advice for young writers, he talkedabout feeling embarrassed about the sexual content of some of his novelswhenheimaginedhisparentsreadingthem.In theendheburst throughthebarrierbymentallyshouting,“Fuckmyparents!”ashesatdowntowrite.

Giveyourselfpermissiontowrite,draw,orotherwiseexpresswhatevercomesout—ontheunderstandingthatyouwillnotmakeitpublic,atleastforawhile.Privacywillmakeiteasiertogetthedraftversiondone.Thentakeabreakbeforedecidingwhetheryouwanttoshowittoanaudience.

MIXEDMOTIVATIONSThere’squiteabitofevidencethatextrinsicmotivations—suchasmoneyandreputation—have a negative impact on creativity. It’s only when you’refocusedonintrinsicmotivations—suchasyourfascinationwiththematerialorthesheerpleasureyoutakeincreatingit—thatyoudoyourbestwork.

This explains the well-known phenomenon of “sophomore slumps”amongbands.Whenletlooseinthestudiofortheirfirstalbum,themusicianscanbarelycontaintheirenthusiasmoverbeinggiventheopportunitytomaketheir music the way they had always wanted to. But if the album bringssuccess, it also brings pressure—there’smore riding on the follow-up, theyhaveareputationandlifestyletomaintain—whichmakesthemmorelikelytostartsecond-guessingtheirinstincts.

Oncethecontractissignedandthedealisdone(whetherit’sanalbum,clientcommission,orajob),putallthoughtsofrewardsoutofyourmindandfocus relentlessly on thework itself. Itmay help to have a studio or otherspace dedicated to creative work—a place you never “contaminate” bytalkingbusinessordaydreamingaboutsuccesswhileyou’rethere.

PERSONALPROBLEMSCreativity demands focus, and it’s hard to concentrate if you’re gettingdivorced, dealing with a teething toddler, battling an addiction, falling outwithyourbestfriend,grievingsomeonespecial,movinghouses,orlockedinadisputewithaneighbor.Ifyou’relucky,you’llonlyhavetodealwiththesekindsofthingsoneatatime—buttroublesoftencomeintwosorthrees.

FridaKahlo’s life wasmarked by suffering. She had polio as a childfollowedbyaterribletrafficaccidentasteenager,whichledtochronichealthissues.Shespentlongperiodsaloneandinpain.Herstormymarriage—thendivorceand remarriage—to fellowMexicanpainterDiegoRiverabrought awhole new set of problems, including infidelities and professional rivalry.Kahloturnedtopaintingwhenshewasbedriddenafterheraccident,andherdedicationtoherartwasaconstantthroughoutthetribulationsofherpersonallife.Shetransformedhersolitarysufferingintoart:“IpaintmyselfbecauseIamsooftenaloneandbecauseIamthesubjectIknowbest.”

Treat your work as a refuge—an oasis of control and creativesatisfactioninthemidstofthebadstuff.Don’tbeatyourselfupifyou’renot

on fire creatively every day—give yourself credit if you showup forworkandmakeevenasmallamountofprogress.Whenyouputdownyour toolsfortheday,youmayevenseeyourpersonalsituationwithafresheye.

POVERTYThisisn’tjustaboutmoney,althoughalackofcashisaperennialproblemforcreatives. You could also be time-poor, knowledge-poor, have a threadbarenetwork, or be short of equipment or other things you need to get the jobdone.

SamuelJohnsonfamouslywrotehisbookRasselasinoneweektocoverhismother’sfuneralexpenses.ShaneCarruthwrote,directed,produced,andstarredinhiscultmoviePrimer,filmingitinfiveweeksandkeepingthecostdown to $7,000 by filling the cast with friends and family and doingeverythinghimself.Inordertocapitalizeonthechartsuccessoftheirsingles,theBeatlesrecordedtensongsinasingledayatareported£400tocompletetheirdebutalbum,PleasePleaseMe.

Make a virtue of necessity and set yourself the creative challenge ofachieving asmuch aspossiblewithwhat youhave. If you’re still in doubt,consider the first and second StarWars trilogies and ask yourself whethermoreresourcesalwaysequalbetterresults.

PRESENTATIONPROBLEMSIn 1976, Iggy Pop’s career was on the skids. His band, the Stooges, haddisintegrated inchaosandhisdrugusehadgotten sooutof control thathechecked himself into a psychiatric hospital. Afterward, his friend DavidBowieinvitedhimtotravelasaguestontheStationtoStationtour;Popwasimpressed by the smooth operation of Bowie’s touring and marketingmachine. The following year Bowie produced Pop’s albums The Idiot andLust forLife and touredwith him to promote them.They became his best-knownsoloreleases.BowiehadalwaysadmiredPop’stalentsasawriterandperformer,butittookaproductionandmarketingmakeoverbeforethewiderworldsatupandtooknotice.

Ifyou’vespentyearspluggingawaywithaminusculeaudienceorclientlist,youmaystarttowonderwhyyoubother.Youmaynotseeyourselfasa

naturalmarketer,butsometimesafewtweakstoyourpresentationcanmakeahugedifferencetoyourimpactandtherewardsyoureap.Whichinturncanreplenishyourenthusiasmforyourwork.

This iswherecreativityblends intocommunicationskills.Youneedtounderstand and influence the right people. Which means beefing up yourpresentation,marketing,andnetworkingskills.Itdoesn’tmatterifyou’reshyorintroverted.Ifyouwanttosucceed,youneedtocommunicate.Andgrowathicker skin. Showme a creative who’s never suffered a setback or a badreview,andyouwon’tbepointingatasuperstar.

Mann,Fowles,Kahlo,Twain,Pop…ifyou’refeelingstuckanddiscouraged,takeheartfromthefactthatyou’reingoodcompany.Noneofthese“greats”wereimmunefromcreativeblocks.Infact,oneofthethingsthatmadethemgreatwastheirpersistenceinthefaceofself-doubt,criticism,andrejection.

I’m not saying you should seek these things out, but don’t shy awayfrom themeither. Ifyouaccept that theyare simplyanoccupationalhazardforcreativeprofessionals,you’ve takenthefirststep towardgettingunstuckandbackinyourcreativezone.

MARKMCGUINNESSisacoachforcreativeprofessionals.BasedinLondon,hecoachesclientsallovertheworldandconsultsforcreativecompanies.HeistheauthorofthebookResilience:FacingDownRejectionandCriticismontheRoadtoSuccessandacolumnistfor99U.

→www.LateralAction.com

KEYTAKEAWAYS

–

SharpeningYourCreativeMind

PRACTICEUNNECESSARYCREATIONUsepersonalcreativeprojectstoexplorenewobsessions,skills,orwaysofworkinginalow-pressureenvironment.

WANDERLONELYASACLOUDMake time for your mind—and body—to wander when you’re stuck.Disengagingfromtheproblemallowsyoursubconscioustodoitswork.

DEFINE“FINISHED”FROMTHESTARTKeepyour innerperfectionist incheckbydefiningwhat finished lookslikeatthebeginningofaproject.Andwhenyougetthere,stop!

DON’TGOONAUTOPILOTRepetition is the enemy of insight. Take unorthodox—even wacky—approachestosolvingyourstickiestproblemsandseewhathappens.

SEARCHFORTHESOURCEWhen thewell runs dry, don’t blame a lack of talent. Creative blocksfrequentlypiggybackonotherproblems.Seeifyoucanidentifythem.

LOVEYOURLIMITATIONSLook at constraints as a benefit, rather than an impediment. Theyactivateourcreativethinkingbyuppingtheante.

Getmoreinsightsandthedesktopwallpaperat:

→www.99u.com/aha

HOWPROCANYOUGO?–

byStevenPressfield

Inouryouth,whenwe’reoperatingasamateurs,we’renousetoourselvesortoanyoneelse—atleastintherealmoffulfillingourdestiny,thearenaofgettingsomethingdone.

Attheamateurlevel,theonlyskillswepossessarethoseofdroppingtheball,flakingout,panickingatopportunities,over-aggressively asserting our “rights,” and in general getting inourownway.

Whenweturnpro,allthatchanges.Butturningproisnotaone-and-doneproposition.Therearemanylevelsofprofessionalism.It’simportant,Ibelieve,tohaveaconceptoftheselevelsfromthestart.Thelongview.Whatarewegettingourselvesintowhenwesay,“Iwanttopaint,”“Iwanttolaunchastart-up,”“Iwanttoshootfilm”?

Here’smyversionoftheroadmap,asthesestepshaveunfoldedinmyownlife.StageOneissimplybeingabletositdownandwork,ifonlyforasinglehour.Don’tlaugh.Ninety-nineoutofahundredcan’tdoit.Thisstageisentry-level.It’skindergarten.Still,Iconfessittookmesevenyearsofhelltoreachthisstage,onenightinaManhattansubletmanymoonsago.

Thenextstageisbeingabletorepeatthatsinglehour.Canweworkagainthenextday?Canwestayatitallday?Canwekeepitupforaweek?

Atthisstagewearelikethecartoonfishemergingfromtheprimevalseatotakeitsfirsthaltingflipper-stepsontodryland.Thismomentishuge.It’sepochal.Butwe’restilljustaCambriancoelacanthcrawlingat.0001milesperhourandgaspingforoxygenwithourgills.

(Atthisstage,bytheway,we’renoteventhinkingaboutquality.TheideathatyouandImighteventuallyproducesomething—abook,afilm,astart-up—worthyoftheattentionofanotherhumanbeing…that’ssofaroff,wecan’tevenconceiveofit.)

Whatwe’redoinginfactislearning(teachingourselves,becausetheydon’thavecoursesinthisstuffattheWhartonSchoolortheIowaWriters’Workshop)howtomanageouremotions,controlourimpulsetoself-sabotage,andkeepontruckin’inthefaceofadversity.

StageThreeisCrossingtheFinishLine.Startingat“A”iseasy.Butcanwemakeitallthewayto“Z”?CanwetypeTHEENDandactuallyhavesomethinginbetweenthatstandsup?

(Frommyowninitialmomentofturningpro,ittookanotherfouryearstoreachthispoint.)

Ifwecanwriteachapter,canwewriteashortstory?Ifwecanfilmashortsubject,canweputtogetherafeature?

Atthisstage,wearenolongerbreathingthroughgills.Wehavelungsnow;wearestandingonourhindlegsandspeakingincompletesentences.Andwe’rebeginningtoaddressquality.We’reacquiringcraft,experience,andskill.Wehaveproducedaproductthatworks,thatdeliversvalueforothers,andthatstandsonitsowninthemarketplace.Areweprosyet?

Yesandno.

Wehavebangedoutonework,butcanwedelivertwo?

IdefineResistanceasthatself-createdandself-perpetuated,invisible,impersonal,indefatigableforcewhosesoleaimistopreventusfromdoingourwork,frombecomingourbestselves,andfromrisingtothenextlevelofcompetence,integrity,andgenerosity.

Thatforcenevergoesaway.Infact,itbecomesmoreproteanandmorecunningasweadvancethroughthelevelsofprofessionalism.

ItwilltrytokillusnowbetweenWork#1andWork#2.Itwillattackusbymakingusarrogant.Wewillbecomeself-inflated,complacent.Atthesametime,Resistancewillundermineuswithfear.Itwilltelluswe’reaOne-HitWonder,aflashinthepan.

ThepassagefromSuccess#1toSuccess#2isanotherepochalodyssey.It’sourHero’sJourney.Withinthisordeal,weacquiresimultaneouslyself-relianceandself-surrender.

We’retalking,now,aboutacareer.

Ifyou’reawriter,canyoupictureashelfofbookswithyournameonthespines?Ifyou’reamoviemaker,canyouenvisionyourfilmographyonIMDb?Ifyou’reanentrepreneur,canyouevolveandreinventyourself

throughStart-up#1toFailure#6,fromCrash-and-Burn#9toBlockbuster#12andbeyond?

Canyouhandlesuccess?Canyouresurrectyourselfafterfailure?Canyoudelegate?Canyououtsource?Canyouworkwithothers?Canyouturnaroundandhelpthenextgenerationcomingupbehindyou?

Willyourethicsfailunderpressure?Willyoupander,willyousellout?Whataboutwhentheworldchangesandbooks/movies/philanthropicventuresareallbeingproducedbyrobots?CanyourelocatetoMarsandstartagain?

Asyoutravelthroughlife,letthisbeourgoal:keepyoureyeonthedonutandnotonthehole.

Butwhatisthedonut?

Isitmoney?Power,sex,glory,notoriety?Isitservice?Altruism?Dowereallyhavea“message”wewanttosend?

Whatisaprofessional,anyway?

Aprofessionalissomeonewhocankeepworkingatahighlevelofeffortandethics,nomatterwhatisgoingon—forgoodorill—aroundhimorinsidehim.

Aprofessionalshowsupeveryday.

Aprofessionalplayshurt.

Aprofessionaltakesneithersuccessnorfailurepersonally.

Intheend,forme,itcomesdowntotheworkitself.Aprogetsyoungerandmoreinnocentasheorsheascendsthroughthelevels.It’saparadox.Wegetsaltyandcynical,butwecreepcloser,too,tothewonder.Youhavetooryoucan’tkeepgoing.Anyothermotivationwillburnyouout.

Youdevelopapractice,andthepracticegetssimplerandlessself-orientedovertime.Werisethroughthelevelsofprofessionalismbyaprocessofsurrender.Wesurrendertoourgift,whateverthatmaybe.Wegiveourselvesuptothegoddessandtotheprocess.

AsShakespeareorSapphoorBruceSpringsteenevolvefromworktowork,yetalwaysretaintheirShakespeare-ness,Sappho-ness,andSpringsteenitude,so,too,youandImustkeepmorphingtothemelodythatourearsalonecanhear.Eachlevelgetsharder,eachthresholddemandsmore.

Isthisapathyouwanttotravel?Didsomeonesayitwaseasy?Doyouhaveachoice?

STEVENPRESSFIELDistheauthorofTheWarofArtandTurningProandthenovelsGatesofFire,TheLegendofBaggerVanceandTheProfession.

→www.stevenpressfield.com

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS–

Much applause must go to our incredible brain trust of contributors: DanAriely, Leo Babauta, Scott Belsky, Lori Deschene, Aaron Dignan, ErinRooneyDoland,SethGodin,ToddHenry,ChristianJarrett,ScottMcDowell,MarkMcGuinness,CalNewport,StevenPressfield,GretchenRubin,StefanSagmeister,ElizabethGraceSaunders,TonySchwartz,TiffanyShlain,LindaStone,andJamesVictore.Thisbookwouldquiteliterallybenothingwithoutyourinsightsandexpertise.Thankyouforthetime,energy,andgenerosityittooktosharethemwithus.

IowemanythanksforthebeautifulcoverdesignsandinteriorlayouttothevisionofBehanceco-founderandchiefofdesignMatiasCorea—oneofmyabsolutefavoritecreativecollaborators—andtotheexcellenteyeofourtalenteddesignerRaewynBrandon.

Thisbookwouldnotexist,norwoulditreadsoeffortlessly,withouttheenthusiasm,advocacy,andeditorialchopsofDavidMoldaweratAmazon,whohasbeenastalwartsupporterofBehanceand99Usincetheearlydays.Thankyouforbelievinginourmissionandhelpingusbringittoalargeraudience.

IamalsoindebtedtoCourtneyDodsonforshepherdingthisbookgracefullythroughproduction,to99UassociateeditorSeanBlandaforincisivethoughtsonthemanuscript,andtotheentireBehanceandAmazonteamsfortheirincrediblesupport,talent,andtenacity.

Lastly,Imustextendmuch,muchappreciationtoScottBelskyforhisinvaluableinputonplanning,shaping,andrefiningthisbookseries,and—moreimportant—forbelievinginme.Havingthechancetolead99UaspartofBehance’smissiontoempowerthecreativeworldhasbeen—andwillcontinuetobe—anincredibleandinvigoratingopportunityforwhichIamdeeplygrateful.

ABOUT99U–

99U isBehance’s effort todeliver the “missing curriculum” that youdidn’tgetinschool,highlightingbestpracticesformakingideashappen.Wedothisthrough interviews, articles, and videos on our Webby Award–winningwebsite at 99u.com, our annual 99 Conference in New York City, ourbestsellingbookMakingIdeasHappen,andourongoing99Ubookseries,ofwhichManageYourDay-to-Dayisthefirstinstallment.

→www.99u.com

ABOUTTHEEDITOR–

Aseditor-in-chiefanddirector,JocelynK.Gleileadsthe99Uinitsmissiontoprovidethe“missingcurriculum”onmakingideashappen.Sheoverseesthe99u.com website—which has won two Webby Awards for “Best CulturalBlog”—and leads thecurationandexecutionof thepopular99Conference,which has presented talks from visionary creatives including Jack Dorsey,Beth Comstock, John Maeda, Jonathan Adler, Stefan Sagmeister, JadAbumrad,andmanymore.

PriortojoiningBehanceand99U,JocelynwastheglobalmanagingeditorattheonlinemediacompanyFlavorpill,leadingdevelopmentofneweditorialproducts.Shehasalsoconsultedwithdozensofbrandsandagencies,fromHermanMillertoPSFKtoHugeInc,oncontentstrategyandweblaunches.Shelovescreatingcontent-drivenproductsthatpeoplelove.

→www.jkglei.com

ENDNOTES–

1.LisaRogak,HauntedHeart:TheLifeandTimesofStephenKing(NewYork:ThomasDunneBooks,2009),93.

2.BenYagoda,“SlowDown,SignOff,TuneOut,”NewYorkTimes,October22,2009.

3.L.L.Bowmanetal.,“CanStudentsReallyMultitask?AnExperimentalStudyOfInstantMessagingWhileReading,”ComputersandEducation,54(2010):927–931.

4.S.T.IqbalandE.Horvitz,“DisruptionandRecoveryofComputingTasks:FieldStudy,Analysis,andDirections,”ProceedingsoftheConferenceonHumanFactorsinComputingSystems,2007.

5.A.Bucciol,D.HouserandM.Piovesan.“TemptationAtWork,”HarvardBusinessSchoolResearchPaper,no.11-090,2011.

6.S.Leroy,“WhyIsItSoHardToDoMyWork?TheChallengeOfAttentionResidueWhenSwitchingBetweenWorkTasks,”OrganizationalBehaviorandHumanDecisionProcesses,109,no.2(2009):168–181.

7.WalterMischel,EbbeB.Ebbesen,andAntonetteRaskoffZeiss,“CognitiveAndAttentionalMechanismsInDelayOfGratification,”JournalofPersonalityandSocialPsychology,vol.21,no.2(1972):204–218.

8.R.BaumeisterandJ.Tierney,Willpower:RediscoveringtheGreatestHumanStrength.(NewYork:PenguinPress,2011).

9.KimberlyD.ElsbachandAndrewB.Hargadon,“EnhancingCreativityThrough‘Mindless’Work:AFrameworkofWorkdayDesign,”OrganizationScience,17(4)470–483.

10.MurakamiHaruki,WhatITalkAboutWhenITalkAboutRunning(NewYork:Vintage,2009).

11.ChipBayers,“TheInnerBezos.”WIRED,March1999.

12.MichaelChuietal.,“TheSocialEconomy:UnlockingValueAnd

ProductivityThroughSocialTechnologies,”McKinseyGlobalInstitute,2012.

13.DianaI.TamirandJasonP.Mitchell,“DisclosingInformationAboutTheSelfIsIntrinsicallyRewarding,”PNAS,vol.109,no.21(2012):8038–8043.

14.GretchenReynolds,“GetUp.GetOut.Don’tSit,”NewYorkTimes,October17,2012.

15.LindaStone,“JustBreathe:BuildingtheCaseforE-mailApnea,”HuffingtonPost,February8,2008.

16.PearceWright,“NitricOxide:FromMenaceToMarvelOfTheDecade.”AbriefingdocumentpreparedfortheRoyalSocietyandAssociationofBritishScienceWriters,1997.

17.NatalieAngier,“BrainIsaCo-ConspiratorinaViciousStressLoop,”NewYorkTimes,August17,2009.

18.StevenJohnson,WhereGoodIdeasComeFrom:TheNaturalHistoryofInnovation(NewYork:RiverheadBooks,2011),45.

19.DavidWhyte,TheHeartAroused:PoetryandthePreservationoftheSoulinCorporateAmerica(NewYork:CrownBusiness,1996),83.

20.ThomasMertonandSueMonkKidd,NewSeedsofContemplation(NewYork:NewDirections,2007),98.

21.RayBradbury,ZenintheArtofWriting(SantaBarbara,CA:CapraPress,1989).

22.HenryMiller,OnWriting(NewYork:NewDirections,1964).

23.EricTamm,BrianEno:HisMusicandtheVerticalColorofSound(NewYork:DaCapo,1995).

24.Beatles,TheBeatlesAnthology.(SanFrancisco:ChronicleBooks,2000).

25.FrankLloydWright,TheEssentialFrankLloydWright:CriticalWritingsonArchitecture(Princeton,NJ:PrincetonUniversityPress,2008).

26.PoBronsonandAshleyMerryman,“TheCreativityCrisis,”Newsweek,July10,2010.

27.LeslieBerlin,“We’llFillThisSpace,butFirstaNap,”NewYorkTimes,September27,2008.

28.DavidLynch,CatchingtheBigFish:Meditation,Consciousness,and

Creativity(NewYork:Tarcher,2007),74.

29.Wikipediacontributors,“Perfectionism(psychology),”Wikipedia,TheFreeEncyclopedia,accessedNovember16,2012,http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfectionism_(psychology).

30.“perfectionism,”Merriam-Webster.com,accessedNovember16,2012,http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/perfectionism.

31.RichardB.Woodward,“VikramSeth’sBigBook,”NewYorkTimes,May2,1993.

INDEX–

ATheAdventuresofTomSawyer(Twain),214–215

Allen,David,141–142

Allen,Woody,22

Anderson,David,153

Ariely,Dan,89–94

Aristotle,39

TheArtist’sWay(Cameron),173–174

associativetriggers,28,65

attention,67–69,101–103.Seealsofocus

BBabauta,Leo,59–62

Baumeister,Roy,103

Beatles,187–188,220

Belsky,Scott,111–117

Bezos,Jeff,113–114

Bleckner,Ross,23

blocks,42,213–219

Bono,Edwardde,196

bootcampapproachtowork,36–37

Bowie,David,220

Bowman,Laura,82

Bradbury,Ray,46–47,185–186

breathing,153–157,169

Bridges,Jeff,189

Buck,PearlS.,30–31

Buffett,Warren,132–133

Burroughs,WilliamS.,193

Buteykobreathing,157

CCage,John,148–149

calm,60,164,187

Cameron,Julia,110,173–175

careerpaths,227–232

Carruth,Shane,218

CasadaMusica,194

CatchingtheBigFish(Lynch),188–189

challenges,217

chaos,focusamidst,99–104.Seealsodistractions

Chesney,Margaret,153

choicearchitecture,92

circadianrhythms,27–28

Cleese,John,210–211

Close,Chuck,235

commitments,recordingall,28–29,65

communicationskills,219

compulsions,89–94,167

confidence,176–177

connectivity

compulsionand,89–94

conscious,151–156

costof,113

energyrenewaland,52–54,109,–114

focusand,67,71–75

impactof,144,146

intentionalityin,133–138

keytakeawayson,167

managing,119–167

motivesin,113

multitaskingand,81–85

opportunitycostsof,90

psychologyof,133–134

self-respectand,161–164

settingboundarieson,135–136

socialmedia,91–92,133–138

stressfromconstant,151–155

unpluggingfrom,143–146,167

urgencyvs.importanceand,162–163

ConsciousComputing,151–156

consistency,23,36

constraints,186–187,195,223

convenience,addictionto,71–75

Covey,Stephen,159

creativetriggers,28,65

creativity,16–17

blocksin,42,213–219,223

disengagementand,186–187

emotionsand,42–43

focusand,67–117

focusonselfand,109–114

frequencyand,33–37

inspirationand,42,65

keytakeawayson,223

limitations/constraintsand,186–187,195

mentalreadinessfor,183–188

mindfulvs.mindlessworkand,102–103

motivationand,216

multitaskingand,81–85

perfectionismand,203–205

physicalpoiseand,187–188

prioritizing,25–27

reactiveworkvs.,25–27

routineand,21–117

salesabilityand,42–43

schedulingtimefor,71–75

serendipityand,112–115

sharpening,169–219

solitudeand,59–62

trickingyourmindinto,193–197

workof,170–171

foryourself,173–177

criticism,44

curiosity,174–178

Ddecision-making,92–94

Delacroix,Eugene,200–201

delegation,230

demandvs.capacity,51–52

Deschene,Lori,133–138

diaphragmaticbreathing,154–155

dietandnutrition,49–50,52–53

Dignan,Aaron,123–128

disengagement,184–185

distractions,68–69.Seealsofocus

e-mail,71–73

hangovereffectfrom,84–85

lettinggoof,127

multitaskingand,81–86

negative,100

positive,100–101

resisting,74

Doland,ErinRooney,99–104

Eegodepletion,93

Elsbach,Kimberly,102

e-mail.Seealsoconnectivity

apneafrom,153–156

bestpracticesin,124

compulsiontocheck,91–92,123–124

energyrenewaltimeand,51–52,54,

focusand,71–73

managing,124–128

multitaskingand,81–82

prioritizing,25,26

sleepand,145–146

timespenton,124

emotions

asblocktocreativity,42

creativeblocksand,215–216

perfectionismand,205–209

self-sabotageby,44

endorphins,134

energylevels,27–28,65.Seealsorenewal

creativityand,187–188

focusonselfand,110–114

habitsand,101

hangovereffectand,84–85

mindfulvs.mindlessworkand,102–104

renewalof,49–54

rhythmsin,27–28,52

solitudeand,59–60

unpluggingfromconnectivityand,144–146

engagement,137,171

Eno,Brian,185,195

exercise,102–103,152,187

expectations,23,27,176–177

experimentation,175–177

Ffailure,dealingwith,230,231

fear,44,188,204

feedback

fearof,208

perfectionismand,203,205

fight-or-flightresponse,154

finishingwork,84–85,203–207,214–215

flowstates,83

focus,67–117

blocks,scheduling,73–75

compulsionsand,89–94

connectivityand,89–94

creativeblocksand,219

energylevelsand,117

keytakeawayson,117

locationand,75

mindfulvs.mindlessworkand,102–104,117

multitaskingand,81–85

personalproblemsand,217

positivedistractionand,100–101

schedulingcreativethinkingtimeand,71–76

solitudeand,59–62

throughchaos,99–104

training,102–104

onyourself,110–117

food,50,

Fowles,John,215

Franzen,Jonathan,81,83–84

Freedom(Franzen),81

Freeman,John,72–73

frequency,powerof,33–37

GGascoigne,Joel,184

goals

complex,keepinginmind,126–127

connectingbehaviorwith,126–127

howprocanyougo?,227–232

perfectionismand,203–209

personal,paychecksvs.,173–178

self-respectand,161–164

short-termvs.long-term,43–44,167

world’svs.your,25–29

Godin,Seth,41–45

Hhabits,self-controland,101,163–164

hangovereffect,84–85

TheHappyFilm,195

Hargadon,Andrew,102

Harrison,George,186

healthissues

connectivityand,162–164

creativeinsightand,187

energyrenewaland,49–54

exercise,102–103,152,187

fromscreentime,152–156,167

TheHeartAroused(Whyte),176

Hemingway,Ernest,23

Henry,Todd,173–178

Horne,Lena,57

hyperventilation,154

Iideas

keepingtrackof,23,34–35,177

poweroffrequencyand,34

repetitivethinkingand,194–195

selling,42–43

IggyPop,218,219

individuality,176–177

informationoverload,151.Seealsoconnectivity

insight,183–189

inspiration,175–176,215–216

lossof,213–215,223

waitingfor,99

InstantMessenger,82

instincts,163–164,167,216

Internet.Seeconnectivity

intuition,113,163–164,167

Irving,John,187

JJarrett,Christian,81–85

Johnson,Samuel,218

Johnson,Steven,175

KKahlo,Frida,217

Keeney,Ralph,92

Kelly,Kevin,120

King,Stephen,28

Lleisure,111–112

Leroy,Sophie,84

lettinggo,203–209

LifeandHealthSciencesResearchInstitute,154

lifeexpectancy,152

limitations,186–187,195,223

listcreep,28

location,focusand,75

Lynch,David,188–189

MMakingComics(McCloud),37

martialarts,155

McCloud,Scott,37

McDowell,Scott,183–189

McGuinness,Mark,25–29,213–220

McKinseyGlobalInstitute,123

McLuhan,Marshall,144,163

meditation,61–62,162–163,187–188

meetings,50

Merton,Thomas,176–177

metrics,72–73

Michaels,Leigh,99

Microsoft,83

Miller,Henry,184

mindfulness,15–19

mindfulwork,102–103,121

mindlesswork,102–103

Moby,187

momentum,34,185

money,216–218

morningpages,173–174

motivation,196–197,216

MountainSchool,110–111

multitasking,81–85

Murakami,Haruki,103

Nnervoussystem,screentimeand,151–154

Newsweek,187

NewYorkTimes,72

Nietzsche,Friedrich,87

nitricoxide,153

Oobjectives.Seegoals

opportunitycosts,90,177

OrganizationScience(journal),102

OrtegayGasset,José,107

Pperfectionism,203–209

persistence,23,26,219

personalproblems,217

perspective,changing,194

phones,145,153–154,162–164.Seealsoconnectivity

pointofview,194

positivedistraction,100–101

posture,61,101,153,155

potential,livingupto,174–175,203–205

poverty,217–218

practice

routineand,42

insolitude,61–62

presentationproblems,218–219

Pressfield,Steven,227–232

pressure,34–35,177

Primer,218

priorities

beingpresentas,113–114

focusand,71–76

multitaskingand,84–85

urgencyvs.importanceand,164–165

world’svs.your,15–19,25–29

problemsolving,84–85,188

procrastination,101,215

productivity,15–19

connectivityand,71–76,94–96

e-mailand,125–126

focus/distractionsand,71–76

frequencyand,33–37

meditationand,187–188

metricsforknowledgeworker,71–73

multitaskingand,81–85

professionalism,227–232

progress

desiretofeel,90

markersof,93–94,117

poweroffrequencyand,36

Qquality,34–35

multitaskingand,81–85

socialmediaand,137

R

randomreinforcement,91–92

Rasselas(Johnson),218

Ray,Man,180–181

reactionaryworkflow,18

reactivework,18,25–27,65

realisticapproach,36

perfectionismvs.,203–209

RealMenDon’tEatQuiche,161

reflection,109–110

Reich,Steve,184

renewal,49–54

creativeblocksand,213–215,219

self-awarenessand,109–114

solitudeand,59–62

unnecessarycreationand,174–177

unpluggingand,143–146

repetitivethinking,194–195

resistance,44,229–230

temptationsand,92–93

responsibility,159,163–164

rest,49–53,184–185

risktaking,175–176

rituals,194

Rivera,Diego,217

routine,196–197

buildingblocksof,27–29

focusblocksin,74–75

honing,41–44

keytakeawaysonbuilding,65

layinggroundworkfor,25–29

motivationand,196

personalizationof,29

poweroffrequencyand,33–37

prioritizingtasksin,53–54

renewalin,49–54

solitudeand,59–62

stressand,154

Rubin,Gretchen,33–37

SSagmeister,Stefan,193–198

salesability,developing,42–43

Saunders,ElizabethGrace,203–209

schedules

focusand,71–76

mindfulvs.mindlessworkin,102–103

motivationand,196–197

recordingallcommitmentson,28–29

renewaltimein,49–54

solitudein,59–62

unstructuredtimein,111

Schwartz,Tony,49–54

screenapnea,153–154

“SecretsofAdulthood”(Rubin),37

sedentarylifestyle,152

self-awareness,109–114,197

socialmediaand,135–138

self-care,49–54

self-control,92–93,101,117

self-esteem,133,136–138

self-expression,176–177

self-fulfillment,137–138

self-respect,161–164

self-sabotage,44

serendipity,112

Seth,Vikram,213–214

Shlain,Leonard,146

Shlain,Tiffany,143–147

Simon,Herbert,68

skills

developingnew,175–176

inpresentation,218–219

salesability,42–43

self-control,101

Skinner,B.F.,91

sleep,49,50,51–53

connectivityand,145–146

creativityand,187

focusand,101

socialmedia,91–92,133–138.Seealsoconnectivity

solitude,59–62

Sophocles,146

sophomoreslumps,216

starting

frequencyand,33–34

Stone,Linda,151–156

strategies,42

streamofconsciousness,144

stress

fromconstantconnectivity,151–156

perfectionismand,203–209

poweroffrequencyand,34–35

self-fulfillmentand,176–177

urgencyvs.importanceand,162–163

success,dealingwith,230–232

ASuitableBoy(Seth),214

sustainability,51–52,54

Ttactics,42

taskswitching,82–85

technology.Seeconnectivity

technologyshabbat,146–148

television,timespentwatching,154

temptation

abilitytoresist,92–93

energyusedbyresisting,83–84

ten-minuterule,35

Tharp,Twyla,23

TyrannyofE-mail(Freeman),72–73

Thoreau,HenryDavid,59,78–79

timeblocks,29

timemanagement

compulsionsand,89–94

connectivityand,89–94,161–164

forcreativity,195–196

energyrenewaland,49–54

focusin,93–94

frequencyand,powerof,33–37

motivationand,196–197

perfectionismand,203–206

prioritiesand,25–27

progressionmarkersin,93–94

solitudeand,59–62

to-dolistcreep,28

transitionalmoments,109–114,117

travel,49–50,54

triggers,creative,28,65

Trollope,Anthony,33

Twain,Mark,214–215

24-hourcomic,37

Uultradianrhythms,52

uncertainty,178

unfinishedwork,84–85

uniqueness,176–177

unnecessarycreation,173–178

unplugging,143–147

urgency,162–163

Vvagusnerve,154

Victore,James,161–164

Wwandering,benefitsof,184–185,223

WebbyAwards,143,147

Wegman,William,187

WhereGoodIdeasComeFrom(Johnson),175

“WhileMyGuitarGentlyWeeps”(Harrison),186

White,E.B.,98–99

Whyte,David,176

Willpower(Baumeister),103

wordassociation,183–184

workflow,managing,119–167

e-mailin,123–127

goalsin,126

optimizationof,15–19

socialmediaand,133–138

workflow,reactionary,18

Wright,FrankLloyd,186

YYaddo,100

yoga,155