On idleness and productivity
I’m struck by a remarkably foolish conundrum.
The busier I am the less productive I become.
While at the same time?
The less I do, the more I create
In order to be productive, I need to be idle. But if I'm idle, that means I’m not doing any thing productive. But if I’m being idle in order to be more productive, am I really being idle?
I have a problem here that relates to creativity and idleness. I need time to dream. I need time to let my mind wander and go sideways.
In order to create, I need time by myself to think. Or whittle. Or just walk. When I’m doing that stuff, I’m mostly thinking about you guys. What fun or helpful things can I share here. How much wisdom can I squeeze out of a fart joke? Thanks for being someone to think about and write to. Whether it's making change happen, creating a company, writing a book, we have to commit to showing up on a daily basis.
Knowing that you read these suckers?
That keeps me writing. It pulls me away from the delightful land of daydreams. I focus and bring my daydreams into something moderately coherent.
Daydreaming is a massive part of the creative process. During a concert at Massey Hall in Toronto, Greg Kealor of Blue Rodeo was telling the story of how he came up with one of their greatest songs
I was at my cabin, up north, getting high and staring at the stars (the audience laughed) What? Isn’t that what you pay me for - to get high and look at the stars?
Writing to you allows me to go between the divergent, dreaming phase of the creative process. That’s my version of ‘getting high and staring at the stars’. Some days, it’s simply sweeping the floor. Other days, it’s walking to work. Eventually, in order to deliver, I then switch to converging on a thought or idea, writing it and then positing it to you daily.
2021 was the year the Foolsletter started. Writing like this is changing me. All of this began because of The Creatives Workshop. There, we were challenged to create and share something daily. The next cohort of The Creatives Workshop begins on January 24. It’s 3.5 months long. It blew me away. Check it out.
There are days where showing up is challenging. There are days where I’m at a loss for something to share. Despite this, I keep showing up. A lot can be said for showing up when you don’t feel like it. Showing up like this is changing me.
So,
Thank you all so very much for being a huge part of my 2021
I imagine that I’ll spend a good chunk of 2022 thinking about what to say to you.
With that in mind, always feel free to replay to this email. Send me some stuff you think I might want to daydream about.
Here’s hoping that 2021’s sick sense of humour turns a little towards silly and slapstick for 2022.
Much love.
Happy final day of 2021
J
"But if I’m being idle in order to be more productive, am I really being idle?"
I love this.
I love it because it recognizes that thinking is not measured and work without thought is not desirable.
What's even harder to imagine measuring is care or love.
Most accounting and finance types are busy measuring activity without having a clue about how to approach thought and love. So, they don't talk about that. They ignore the magic ingredient in the secret sauce.
Yet, you know when someone does their work with thought and when they do it with love. We just can't quantify it. It's there or it isn't.
Ending the year with a favourite quote:
If you work with your hands, you are a labourer.
If you work with your hands and your head, you are a craftsman.
If you work with your hands, your head and your heart, you are an artist.
Artists, I think, are misunderstood. They are the hardest working people I know. They don't punch a clock. They are mentally and spiritually tending to their work all the time. They understand that navel gazing can be hard work and they are right. Acting on the resulting thought is often an act of courage and curiosity. We could use more courage and curiosity and it doesn't come from punching a clock. It all starts with being idle.
Thanks to your recent posts; I will go into 2022 letting myself be more idle without guilt, and with less on my goals list which is actually making me feel more energized already. So much appreciation for you and the work you do! Happy New Year!