Oh, yay! One less hour
How to make creative constraints your bestie
Quick question: do you like it when things are taken from you?
(That’s a rhetorical question because I’m guessing, like me, you’re a person who values autonomy and freedom, and your first instinct is to shout, “Hell, no!” from the rooftops.)
And yet this morning, thanks to Daylight Savings Time, I find myself with one less hour, and I’m secretly grateful.
Stay with me here.
Imagine being tasked with creating something new and having the world at your disposal.
You can invent whatever you want, made from any material you choose, in any color, size, or shape you’d like.
Oh, and don’t worry about the cost or time needed to do this.
Pretty amazing, right?
As it turns out, that kind of creative freedom can be paralyzing.
Though most people think unlimited resources fuel innovation, the best ideas are born from creative constraints.
A study on creativity and constraint demonstrates that, surprisingly, people generate more rather than less varied solutions when options are limited.
When faced with scarcity, research shows that people must give themselves the freedom to use resources in less conventional ways. Without restrictions, the study suggests, we’d remain stuck in our old ways of thinking.
So as much as you might want to shake a fist at cursed Daylight Savings Time taking an hour from you, consider this:
Constraints aren’t the boundaries of creativity but the foundation of it.
Here’s how to embrace them:
View them as the creative challenges they are
Instead of resisting constraints and seeing them as inhibitors to your success, reframe them as creative challenges essential for innovation.
Constraints shake us from the shackles of the status quo and force us to use our creativity to find new solutions. We engage our curiosity to ask questions like “what if?” and “why not?” And by shifting our perspective, we allow constraints to help us maintain focus and direction.
Practice with a self-imposed constraint
If you’re still questioning the value of constraints on your creativity, try a self-imposed one that’s easy to manage: time.
When you have an important project to do but are feeling overwhelmed, grab a timer and use the Pomodoro Technique, whose name comes from the Italian word for tomato. (And in Italy, timers are traditionally tomato-shaped.) The idea is to set a timer for 25 minutes, work until the bell rings, and then take a 5-minute break. After four sessions, you’ve earned a 15-minute break. Working in short bursts means you’ll dig in, focus, avoid multitasking—and make progress.
Adopt situational and environmental constraints
For the last three years, we’ve lived and worked in a world full of situational and environmental constraints. Thanks to a global pandemic, we’ve all figured out how to connect virtually and embrace these constraints to deliver our products and services in a completely different way—or develop entirely new offerings.
When circumstances beyond your control impact your business or career, you have two choices: pivot or perish. Don’t let fear paralyze you; use creative constraints to envision the possibilities.
Though it’s counterintuitive, removing things also works to improve your career.
Case in point: the professional items you’re clinging to that are outdated, unnecessary, and no longer useful.
In my latest Forbes article, I share the top ten things to discard immediately to make career progress.
Shine on,
Amy
P.S. When I’m not writing this newsletter or embracing creative constraints, I’m a social media ghostwriter. (Yep, that’s a thing). I help founders craft their stories to communicate and connect better, magnifying their reach and impact. (Think personal branding and thought leadership.) Learn more here.
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