Una battuta trovata in Rete tempo fa diceva: “The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing”. Mi sembra azzeccata per questo bel post estratto dal libro di Scott Belsky, Founder e CEO di Behance, forse la più interessante rete per “creativi” in senso esteso. Riflessioni utili su metodi e pratiche di un mestiere difficile da definire proprio perché ha nel rinnovamento continuo la sua ragion d’essere, ma dove l’execution fa la differenza tra successo e fallimento. E Belsky ci aiuta proprio in questo: “The creative process is surviving the project plateu”, afferma al punto 5. Appunto.
Creative types have a problem. We have so many great ideas, but most of them never see the light of day. Why do most ideas never happen? The reason is that our own creative habits get in the way. For example, our tendency to generate new ideas often gets in the way of executing the ones we have. As a result, we abandon many projects halfway through. Whether a personal website, a new business idea or a long-dreamt novel, most of these projects stagnate and become a source of frustration.
Some creative people and teams are able to defy the odds and make their ideas happen, time and again. In my work, I have spent the better part of five years meeting these exceptional people and chronicling their habits and insight, which has resulted in the following tips and suggestions for making ideas happen.
1. Avoid A Reactionary Workflow
Without realizing it, most of us have gradually adopted a “reactionary workflow”. We are constantly bombarded with incoming communication: email, text messages, tweets, Facebook posts, phone calls, instant messages, etc. Rather than be proactive with our energy, we spend all of our energy reacting, enslaved to the last incoming item.
To avoid this reactionary workflow, some of the most productive people I have met schedule what can be called “windows of non-stimulation” in their day. For two to three hours per day, these people avoid email and all other incoming communication. In this time, they focus on their list of big items: not routine tasks, but long-term projects that require research and deep thought.
Another idea is to aggregate all messages in a central location. Setting your social networks to email you, and using filters to automatically manage these emails, will reduce your “hopping time” (when you hop between sources of communication) and focus your attention. Some people even have their voice mails transcribed automatically and forwarded by email. In a world of many inboxes, you have to consolidate.
2. Strip Projects To Three Primary Elements
Every project in life can ultimately be reduced to just three primary elements: 1) action steps, 2) backburner items and 3) references. Action steps are tasks that can be articulated succinctly and begin with verbs. They should be kept separate from your notes and sketches.
