"Most to-do list creatives cannot drop everything to spend days
lost in monk-like focus."
"Creative work is not a task to be checked off a
next actions list. If you decide that you need to complete a particular project by the end of a block, for example, you're likely to either be frustrated
by your lack of progress or rush out something mediocre."
"When you face a block of time dedicated to finishing a milestone, your mind avoids detours
as they might delay your progress. When you instead focus on process, your mind is free to follow the path most important to eventually producing high-quality output."
I just read an article by Cal Newport that really makes me feel better about the way my brain works. I think one of the biggest challenges of being a graphic design student is being surrounded by so many people who work differently from you. It makes you feel really inferior when a classmate can crank out a genius piece of work in class and it takes you hours just to find the right direction. Reading this article I think will definitely help me not become frustrated as easily at my mental process of developing creative work. I suggest that you glance it over, especially if you are a "to-do list creative." Above are a few of my favorite pieces from the article.
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Bonni-the article is great, thanks for sharing. I am on the flip side and feel that I am very goal oriented. However, I can see some of the tendencies of a To-Do List Creative in my experiences in college and now trying to write my blog and finish other projects at home. My biggest problem though is having "too much time." If I have a whole day to accomplish a lot of things without many other obligations, I find myself doing things that aren't as important, eventually not getting anything done. When I'm rushed and have a packed day, everything seems to get done that needs to get done that day. Go figure.
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