16min
The frantic struggle for effective time management has a negative impact on our creativity, and many companies risk losing value as they continue to focus only on processes and optimising efficiency. Creative thinking must be cultivated and organised differently from “procedural” work. Mind Management, Not Time Management: Productivity When Creativity Matters provides insights and techniques on how to boost our creativity.
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Analysis and key concepts
01.
For people in creative jobs, productivity is not just about optimising time and processes, because it is also critical to consider factors that boost creative thinking
02.
Time management optimises the “resource” of time, while mind management optimises creative energy
03.
Creativity requires our mind to think in two different ways, alternating between divergent and convergent thinking, in order to gather all the information and channel it into a result
04.
All time is not equal: strong biological rhythms cause our energy to fluctuate throughout the day, and many people experience the ‘2.30 slump’, which is where our circadian rhythm and sleep debt meet
05.
The first hour rule is simple: during the first hour of the day, we must concentrate only on what we have identified as our most important project, with no exceptions or interruptions
06.
The eight-day week exists, and it is the result of an organisation based on event-time, instead of clock-time
07.
The four phases of creativity, proposed in the late 1970s by Graham Wallas, are preparation, incubation, illumination, and verification. There is a perfect moment for each of these stages, which varies for each of us
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Quotes
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Take-home message
When it comes to productivity, most people think that they need to find a way to get more done, in less time. Optimising processes, in other words the series of steps we need to take to get something done, is beneficial in many sectors, but not in those whose most fundamental component is creativity. This is why it is essential to understand how we can be productive while sustaining our ability to create.
Scientists say that artificial intelligence and automation will eliminate between 40% and 50% of ‘repetitive’ jobs within the next 20 years. According to artificial intelligence expert Kai-Fu Lee, the jobs that benefit from productivity optimisation will be the first to go.
The frantic race for time management has negative repercussions on our quality of life, as well as on the quality of the product, just like a diet that cuts out too many calories and turns a healthy diet into a dangerous one. If we try to save time, in order to invest it into our productivity, we may realise too late that we have cut out ‘too much life’. In reality, this is already happening. According to various surveys, 30% of American workers sleep less than six hours per night, which not only damages their ability to perform a creative job, but also negatively impacts on their health, because sleeping less than eight hours per night can increase the risk of hypertension, diabetes, obesity, as well as other equally serious diseases.
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The author
David Kadavy is a firm believer in the importance of creativity in every area of production. In addition to having written a number of books on the subject, he also hosts the podcast, Love Your Work, which features many entrepreneurs and creative professionals as guest speakers, and writes a weekly newsletter, Love Mondays, in which he shares information and tips for improving creative skills.
Edition
Publishing house:
Kadavy Inc.
Year:
2020
Pages:
262
ISBN:
978-0578733692