The Silent Saboteur: How Stress Stifles Creative Thinking.
I’ve finally figured it out.
I wrote about Writer’s Block and how I overcame it in my previous article.
I Was in Trouble: How GPT-4 Rescued Me from Writer’s Block
The same thing happened this week, but I’m not panicking this time. Instead, I was determined to figure out where the problem was and find ways to resolve it permanently. It all comes down to taking on far too much at one time. Let me explain.
I decided to start my own business two years ago, but it was convenient for me to continue in my existing role when the old company I worked for was bought out. That is all it was for the first eighteen months, a convenience. Then, at the beginning of this year, over the Christmas and New Year break, I started to see the potential of expanding my business into areas I felt strongly about. The problem was that I was, and am, committed to my current role but taking on a slow-burn expansion like this seems handleable. And, in truth, it was
I’m an idiot, or am I? Starting a business after 60
The problems started months ago when I began to write again regularly. I had already been a member of Medium for several years and then started my own Substack to complement and diversify potential audiences. This led to other ideas and resurrecting projects lying dormant for years.
Before I knew it, everything, apart from my primary role, was suffering.
See more articles, posts, and discussions about business, project management, Generative AI and Creative Writing on Medium here. If you have not already, subscribe to Medium. Or follow me here on Substack.
The Silent Assassin in Our Midst
To give context to my self-inflicted problems, here is a short timeline of ideas and semi-commitments:
- My primary role, for which I will never give less than 100%.
- Expanding and diversifying my own business in the area of Software Project Management.
- Writing and publishing articles on Medium, Substack, and on this website.
- Resurrecting a fiction book I started writing in 2017, interrupted by a severe illness.
- Planning to start a second business focussing on providing Generative AI services to small and medium-sized businesses.
- Planning a non-fiction book on the importance of human relationships is all aspects of business.
Considering that, at least for now, I’m a one-person band, items 4, 5, and 6 are just asking for trouble. And don’t forget that I have a family and everyday household commitments. Where to find the time? In short, this is impossible for anybody to achieve with any quality.
A classic overwork scenario and all my fault.
The 80/20 Rule: Overcoming Overwork
So, how am I to solve this? Concentrating on the priorities is the secret, Warren Buffet’s famous 80/20 rule (although the rule predates Mr Buffet, I’m sure). I need to spend 80% of my limited time on the 20% most productive and constructive projects.
The almost irresistible temptation to add more commitments and responsibilities must be overcome. Once the initial projects run semi-automatically, it is time to consider taking on anything new.
My primary role is also a passion of mine. However, starting in August, I’ve decided to cut the days committed from five to four days a week. Many of my creative issues stem from the last two months of working highly odd hours supporting a client project in Australia (I’m based in the Netherlands). Naturally, this has a financial impact, but I can handle it.
Next up is my own business. I started by targeting a small subset related to Software Project Management, but this is so specialised that I will never be able to gain any traction or clients. It is simply far too specific. Instead, I must pivot to a more marketable strategy targeting the entire lifecycle of Software Project Management.
Lastly, my weekly commitment to publishing engaging and valuable articles. I’ve been working hard to improve my writing skills over the last months, and it would be helpful to earn something from the activity finally.
The remaining ideas and projects will be firmly on the back boiler.
The Hidden Casualty of Overwork: Creativity
Overwork can creep up on a creative before we realise it. I’m fortunate that the impact has been brought home to me in time to do something about it. These are some of the main things to watch out for for the creative.
- Cognitive Fatigue: When you’re overworked, your brain runs at high speed for extended periods; it eventually needs time to cool down and replenish. If not, it won’t be able to operate optimally.
- Stress: High-stress levels might make it harder for you to relax and let your mind wander, which is often when creative ideas surface. Whatever you do, don’t start smoking to help with this—a terrible move.
- Burnout: This state of fatigue can sap your motivation, make it difficult to concentrate, and drastically reduce creativity. In my opinion, this is one of the most challenging problems to self-diagnose.
- Lack of Diverse Experiences: Creative thinking often stems from the ability to make connections between seemingly unrelated things. The only thing I do outside of work and family commitments is reading. I have to get out more.
- Neglected Self-care: Overworking often leads to neglect of important self-care practices like exercise, healthy eating, and getting enough sleep. These aspects of self-care are important for your general health and maintaining good brain function and creativity. I’m fortunate that my wife makes sure I eat correctly. I still need to work on getting exercise, though.
Maybe this sound like an exaggeration to some of you, it isn’t an exhaustive list, but it does give you an idea. We can only comfortably handle so much. Taking on anything more inevitably reduces our effectiveness.
How to Defeat the Creativity Assassin
Recognising that we take on too much is often insufficient to guarantee a healthy creative process. One or more of these strategies, take your pick, will keep a creative if good mental condition.
- Take Breaks: Regular breaks, even short ones, during your workday can help prevent cognitive fatigue. A quick walk around the car park is better than nothing.
- Practice Mindfulness and Relaxation Techniques: These can help reduce stress and foster a state of mind conducive to creativity.
- Prioritise Self-Care: Ensure you get enough sleep, eat healthy, and exercise regularly. Exercise is my main failing, and smoking ☹️
- Pursue Diverse Experiences: Engage in different activities outside of work. This could be reading a book, visiting a museum, walking in nature, or learning a new hobby. Also good for the family.
- Seek Inspiration: You might need to seek creative inspiration actively. This could involve reading broadly, looking at art, listening to music, watching films, or anything else that sparks your imagination.
These are just a few suggestions trawled from the internet, but it will be different for every person. The most important thing is to do everything possible to remain physically and mentally healthy.
In the words of the Bob Marley song, Don’t Worry, Be Happy.
Final Thoughts
Don’t fall into the trap; only take on the projects you can handle. Pushing yourself beyond this will have a negative impact on something. Think along the lines of your own personal and professional growth. Keep being curious, try new things, just don’t overdo it.
I want to finish that book and start the next in the series. I want to create a new venture apart from my current business. I have many ideas to write about Human Relations in Business and their importance. I’m not doing anything on these, probably until the end of the year, perhaps even into next year.
Even then, I’ll be cautious about which, if any, project I take on. I’m curious how much these changes will impact my next article. I guess we’ll find out, won’t we?
See more articles, posts, and discussions about business, project management, the role of human nature, Generative AI and Creative Writing on Medium here. If you have not already, subscribe to Medium. Or follow me here on Substack. The KodifyIT Substack newsletter is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber; I would appreciate the support; you won’t regret it. 👍
Disclosure. I use Generative AI tools to help me when writing. From outline suggestions to topics or subtleties I had yet to think of.
I apologise to my readers for some of the spellings you may feel are incorrect. I was born and brought up in the United Kingdom, and this is the spelling I am comfortable with (Grammarly is happy with it anyway).