The Productivity Lie Is Killing Your Creativity
I struggled this week. I didn’t write anything. I didn’t resume any projects. I didn’t record any videos. I didn’t take any decent photos. It was stressful. More accurately, it was depressing.
I have been a full-time content creator for the last year and a half. My wife and I have sustained ourselves largely through writing and editing. We also podcast and do bits of the video when we can.
I spoke to my wife, who is also my business and creative partner. I explained that I was feeling a way about my lack of creativity and, by extension, my lack of productivity. Her response “Lean into it.”
Prior to being a full-time content creator, I worked primarily low-paying hourly gigs and sales positions. At my lowest, I was homeless for several months. I slept on couches, trains, and shelters during that time. When you are in that position, anyone will tell you you are constantly working or looking for work. You are either treading water or drowning. Swimming is a dream.
Leaning into being unproductive runs counter to everything I know.
So, why lean into not being productive as a creator?
The short answer is that, for the most part, creative nonproductivity is a myth. The problem is how we define what constitutes productivity.
By in large, we are all trained to be widget makers. We go from school to 9 to 5 jobs that primarily measure our success and failure to complete many daily tasks. When we have a less productive day, we are either judged for it, or worse, we are penalized.
I developed a mantra during my years of scraping by and working to keep my head above water. You are as relevant as you are usuful. I still believe it is a truism when it comes to traditional work. Your ability to produce Your level of usefulness (hours worked, sales made, widgets assembled) directly impacts your relevance (raises, promotions, respect).
As accurate as it may be in the traditional, this mindset fails in the artistic.
Much of the art we create is born from contemplation. Writers, for example, are always writing, even when there is no keyboard at hand. We imagine. We plan. We edit.
We are taught that this time in our heads is procrastination. Imagination is not work shown, so how do we quantify its value? Without that quantifying, how do we determine the value of your work? How do we determine your value as a person without knowing the value of that work?
The first skill we as creatives need to develop is the ability to break away from the concept of productivity as it has been taught to us. That version of production often results in lower-quality work for the sake of simply doing more work. Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites, but your story will separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.
Be clear, be confident, and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it will continue to evolve, and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.
