Productivity And Creativity

Just like being busy doesn't necessarily mean being productive, being productive doesn't necessarily mean being creative.

I think there's an interesting comparison between productivity and creativity, especially in terms of work input. Experientially, the former is often equated with maintenance work, the needle is being pushed forward gradually.

This often requires meticulous attention to detail and following established procedures to reach predictable outcomes. For example, sending and replying emails, attending meetings etc.

Creativity is more like doing deep work, outside the confines of established procedures and predictable outcomes.

Essentially, productivity thrives on routine and structure, whereas creativity flourishes in open-ended exploration and experimentation.

The Struggles Of The Two Birds

In matters of preference, people with dominant right brain qualities prefer being more creative than productive, if that's a thing. Interestingly however, creative type of people tend to struggle with being productive, which usually stems from their lack of structure.

Think of it like a flying bird with weak legs, whenever it tries to land, it'll probably crash. Productive type of people are more like birds with insufficient wings to fly.

On a serious note, this is a simplified analogy. Most people possess a blend of creative and productive tendencies. I consider myself both, but not necessarily at the same time, depending on the work done.

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What I've observed is that to consistently be productive is much easier than to be consistently creative. In a way, this is obvious, creative inspiration often strikes unexpectedly.

Trying to maintain a consistent flow of creative ideas will require cultivating a sort of messy environment that fosters inspiration.

Perhaps, setting aside dedicated time for brainstorming, surrounding yourself with stimulating influences, or simply allowing yourself the freedom to explore new ideas without judgment. In a world where the pressure to achieve immediate results is high, this is a luxury one can't afford.

Fueling the Creative Engine

Being consistently productive in and of itself isn't easy either, especially with the many distractions at our fingertips.

That said, consistent productive output can provide the springboard for creative breakthroughs, akin building a solid foundation upon which creative leaps can be made. I'm not very sure of the mechanism behind it but it's very similar to the saying "the deeper the roots, the taller the tree can grow".

In other words, our creative capacity is more or less directly proportional to the quality and volume of our productive output, especially when observed from a long time frame.


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