“To me there's no creativity without boundaries. If you're gonna write a sonnet, it's 14 lines, so it's solving the problem within the container.” – Lorne Michaels, Born Nov. 17, 1944.
There is something incredibly empowering about using creative limitations. And it's not just about placing arbitrary deadlines. It's about limiting your materials, your scope.
Part of why this is great advice for anyone working on any project is that any real project will have real limitations THRUST upon you. And most people aren't well equipped to deal with that kind of thing.
Unexpected wrinkles mean having to edit the plan. But most people work WAY TOO HARD on the plan before getting to work.
But when you are in the habit of CHOOSING your OWN creative obstacles, you get well practiced in dealing with monkey wrenches and wooden shoes tossed into your beautiful machine. You become MacGuyver. Instead of scripting everything, you say “Fuck it, we'll do it live!”
But a second, overlooked benefit is that if you choose your own limitations, they don't feel like destiny or fate unfairly crushing you. It feels like a fun and challenging game you are playing with yourself.
Can you do one whatever per day for 30, 60, 90 days?
Can you write 5,000 words today?
Can you plan a months worth of posts and promos in the next hour?
Can you take this one article you wrote and expand it into at least 5 new posts?
Can you write 13 points on this one topic to make a whole article?
Try gamifying your goals. Challenge yourself SPECIFICALLY with a creative limitation, and watch how fun it becomes to do even stupid boring shot that you hate.
If you excuse me, I have to go see if I can load the dishwasher with my left hand while holding my iPad with the other, and I'm going to dictate a bullet list for my current project.
This post contains a formula that is priceless. Admittedly, I am forever the “idea man” – however, I recently began strolling through a few piles of notebooks to recognize certain patterns that connect all these “symptoms” people suffer…
Though I have over a dozen seperate niche markets I dabble in, research, and study intensly, copywriting be merely one aspect or craft to be honed… I think the real work begins when you start seperating the wheat from the chaff. I needed this kick in the ass as I have at least 6 funnel ideas and launches in my head and throughout piles of writings.
I think the key is to learn from those who have already succeeded in bridging the gaps we “innexperienced” people mistook for the illusion we need to build our bridge single handedly, when in reality – their may already exist such a bridge built by others just 2 steps from where we stand upon the edge, scratching our heads in bewilderment as to; “how the hell are we supposed to get from here to the otherside of the financial canyons that reside and occupy space in the voids of our own ability to see; “most of what you need, ALREADY EXISTS!”