A reader asked the other day why I post so often about self improvement. What does it have to do with creativity, productivity, or humor, the subjects I usually write about?
It has everything to do with it.
The vast majority of creatively stuck people feel directionless. They can’t get motivated, stick to a game plan, or get out of a slump. They feel too down on themselves or their prospects to write anything.
Self-improvement can nudge you past these limitations just long enough to get something on the page to at least make today[s output quota. And that’s all it takes, showing up day after day to do the work.
You 2 (“you squared”) is a book by psychologist Price Pritchett I recommend. It explains how bursts of untutored effort can produce massive gains in self-improvement and skill development.
He says, when you’re feeling directionless or unprepared, pick a direction and jump. Make a leap of faith before you’re ready. It will often turn into a quantum leap, instantly making you feel more confident and capable.
I believe in showing up every day and putting in the obsessive hours. The approach Pritchett offers in You 2 is a fun potential shortcut you can experiment with. It’s akin to my “Fire, Aim, Ready” strategy. It’s also akin to my “Be Outrageous” strategy.
Not only can making “quantum leaps of faith” like this feed your creativity, it can advance your goals further and faster than you thought possible.
Sit down and write something before you think you’re ready. Be bold—start!
I'll check that book out. Prof. Piers Steel has a book called The Procrastination Equation where he argues that motivation can be understood as: (Expectancy x Value) / (Impulsiveness x Delay). To explain briefly, if you're confident about what you're doing and value it, and if you avoid distractions and get quick rewards for your efforts, then your motivation will skyrocket. Of course, there's a lot of nuance to this. For me right now, I struggle with Expectancy and Delay. They feed off each other. When it takes a long time to see the results of your efforts, that saps confidence.