I love starting things. I’m a dreamer by nature, so coming up with a new shiny idea comes naturally to me. I am also not one of those laser-focused, niched experts. I consider myself a deep generalist. My interests vary broadly and my applications change across genres and mediums.
Getting started is the fun part
The excitement of starting something fuels me into action. Thinking about an idea, planning the execution, building the initial system and taking it for a test run, is all a lot of fun. Until it is not. A little bit beyond the genesis phase and I start getting bored. Like a raven pick-pocketing for that sparkly object, I am easily drawn away to the next shiny idea. What’s worse is that I lose interest in the previous work, even though it may be good or potentially great.
Clearly, this is a flaw in my character. At least that’s what I thought until recently I read an article about having 100s of unfinished drafts instead of forcing yourself to finish a piece of work when you’re just not feeling it. I’m a creative by nature but I also need to feel happy and calm for me to be my best creative self. Some days it just doesn’t click and I can’t force it. What if I didn’t have to force it? What if I didn’t have to finish everything I started – at least not right away?
Finishing has to be easier than this
This got me thinking. Following the popular opinion of many online creators, seeing their work ethic and listening to how they structure their workday, leaves me feeling like a loser. I can’t wake up at 5 am and be happy about it. I am unable to give the best of my morning hours to my craft because I need to get to my day job during that time. I can’t afford to work only a few hours a day and then do whatever I want. I can’t publish an article, a post or a story every single day. At least not in this phase of my life anyway.
This idea of chasing perfection… the perfect routine, the perfect method, the perfect hook, the perfect business plan, the perfect way to build an audience, is what wears me down. I used to be an all-or-nothing kind of guy. The problem with all or nothing is that you land up with nothing more often than you land up with more. Forcing yourself to finish something do are not enjoying is like sucking on aspirin – yuck!
What if there was a way for me to stay in the zone? What if there was a way for me to finish the things I started but it wasn’t the obvious way? I’ve decided to try the ‘100 unfinished drafts’ method. That way I can work on something every day but not be limited to a piece of work that is just not clicking on that particular day. Some days I may add a paragraph to a piece I started months ago, other days I may write 90% of an article and other days I may do some post-production editing on photos. Some days I may build a new system, or improve on an existing one. Some days I may do no work and allow myself to recharge at the pace of nature. The net result however may be surprisingly positive.
Articles, stories and posts will still be written. Photos will get edited. Improvements will be made. New ideas will be implemented. But not all at once and not at the expected time. When you’re a part-time creator you don’t have the luxury of spending all of your time doing the thing you love. You must try your utmost to harness your energy and focus it in the most beneficial direction on any given day. I work a full-time job that requires me to be present and carries with it a decent amount of responsibility. I also have a mortgage and bills to pay. So unfortunately I can’t do whatever I like with my time… yet.
Continually chasing perfection means nothing gets finished
I’ve kicked perfection to the kerb. I have thrown the all-of-nothing mentality out the window. I am embracing the method of channelling my energy on the right thing at the right time. Work will eventually get finished and it’ll be pretty awesome when it gets published, shared or monetised. As long as there is consistency in the right direction I’ll get there. I may not take the road marked on the map by all the experts. I may follow the dim-lit, feint trail that very few travel, and I’m okay with that. I don’t like following crowds and conforming to societal norms anyway.
Wisdom is gleaned from multiple sources and I am in no way saying that the experts or the ones with the loudest voices are wrong. They are just different in their approach. I’ll learn what I can for them and move on. I am not going to copy anyone’s ten-step formula for overnight success. I’ll take it slow, adopt the pace of nature and grow organically. Like a tree, I’ll allow my roots to anchor deep in wisdom. I’ll have seasonal blooms of inspiration and growth spurts. Other times I’ll shed my leaves and be a little stark. While I grow I will scatter my seeds all over the forest and those that fall on fertile soil will germinate and grow into their little patch of beauty.
If midlife has taught me anything, it’s that pushing yourself to the breaking point for anything is simply not worth it. I’ve dealt with working long nights. I’ve lived the hustle. I’ve burnt out. It does nothing but incapacitate you and set you back years. For me, slow and steady wins the race while fast and wobbly lands me in a brace. Without a healthy body and a calm mind, my work will suffer and my creativity turn into a barren landscape inhabited by nothing more than dust and tumbleweeds.
The idea of incremental improvements and sustainable momentum is something I truly believe in. I would rather do a few small things every day than do one big thing one day. I like to use this analogy…
Each day we are given opportunities. As small as they may seem, they are there. It’s up to us to use them like little building blocks. Laying just a few bricks each day over the course of a year will build you a house.
Not finishing a piece of work before I start another doesn’t necessarily mean it won’t turn out to be a success in the end. On the contrary, it can become great because it is not forced into an average, premature finish. If I am adding true value to a piece of work every day, it can only get better. It has to.
Not finishing something quickly does not make you a failure
Admittedly, there are days when I still feel like I am failing. Not churning out enough content. Not publishing regularly enough. Not building a business quickly enough. Not leveraging social media, mailing lists and digital products quickly enough. Some days I feel like I have missed the boat. When this happens, I try to take a step back and gain some perspective. I remind myself I am not competing against anyone apart from my former self. I have nothing to prove to anyone but I do want my future self to thank me for doing the right thing.
We are all told that we should cringe at the work we produced in the past. We should hate it, and be embarrassed by it. Yes, there is some of my old work I am not particularly fond of, but there are times I find something that an inspired younger me produced, and I think “Well done legend, you did good back then.” There will always be room for improvement, as you get better at your craft, naturally, you become more professional. I don’t think we need to or should berate our old selves. We have learnt so much. We have come so far. We have a bigger picture now and can see how all those little bits of work in the right direction have gotten us to this point.
Switching systems to make for a fun finish
To simplify my workflow and help me stay a little more organised, I have started using my notes app extensively. I love the way it synchronises across my devices. When inspiration hits, I can quickly jot something down no matter where I am or pick up on a piece of work that is half-finished and add something valuable. For now, it seems to be working out. I am sure my future self will be thankful I found a way to eventually finish the work that I started instead of abandoning it completely, even if the methods are a little unconventional.
Like my dog’s favourite toy being taken out of the cupboard after a few months in hiding, I too gather great excitement when I discover something I started on in the past that all of a sudden provides newly fuelled energy. Recently I unearthed a catalogue of drone videos from some of my travels and that inspired me to edit and share them with the world. It made me want to get outdoors into nature and see this big beautiful world in its majesty. It also made me grateful for the past experiences I was fortunate to have, places I have been able to see and memories that have left my soul fuller.
I may just keep digging in the archives. Who knows what gold I might find amongst the dregs that’s simply in need of a little polish to help it sparkle gloriously?
Confession… I didn’t finish this piece of writing in one sitting. I fleshed out the bulk of it but was pulled away by my lovely wife who wanted to have a conversation. She will always win when it comes to priorities, so I filed this as a draft to be finished on another day.
A reminder to myself…
Progress over perfection. Make incremental improvements. Work in excellence. Perfection is a moving target. You’ll get there in the end 😉
