Juggling Creation and Confusion
Creativity often comes with confusion. So much of being creative is a cultivation of play, but for a wandering mind, play itself can throw us into multiple directions.
Wandering minds excel at building, improvising, connecting unlikely dots. But that creativity often explodes in all directions, leading to overwhelm. The very playfulness that fuels invention can also bring decision overload—leaving us collapsed in uncertainty, our energy scattered across a thousand “what ifs.”
It’s all to easy to give up.
But when we can hold on to the fog of confusion, we often start finding a way forward, sometimes even with a sense of deeper meaning and mastery with the work.
Between spark and mastery, the storms of confusion are regularly found.
How Creativity Grows in the Messy Middle
My own writing process is messy. Organizing notes, rearranging chapters, screaming internally (sometimes externally)—it’s all part of holding confusion. As I sit with the sensations, resting my mind within, sometimes patterns emerge.
Mastery isn’t about having all the answers, but more often in staying with the questions.
Anchoring in Daily Rhythms
So, how do we find clarity amid the creative storm?
- Be with the confusion: Feel it. Point at it. Where is the disconnect? Sometimes, just pointing to the foggy patch helps you find a path through.
- Consider being with your work daily: The Daily Visit (episode 4 of the Rhythms of Focus) can lead to a powerful harnessing of a primal cycle. Short, frequent creative sessions allow confusion to “settle” and your unconscious mind to puzzle out solutions between. Over time, this rhythm supports both emotional resilience and emerging insight.
- Pause for play: Notice when creativity tips into overwhelm. Sometimes, a gentle pause—restores the sense of safety and possibility.
Mastery grows, not by banishing confusion, but by sitting with it—turning uncertainty into a deeper connection with your work, and ultimately, with yourself.
- Kourosh
PS For an extended discussion of today’s newsletter, check out episode 19 of the Rhythms of Focus.
Join the Weekly Wind Down Newsletter
Get a weekly letter about getting to play and meaningful work. Start getting where you want to be with calm focus. You’ll receive free samples of:
- Creating Flow with OmniFocus
- Taking Smart Notes with DEVONthink
- Workflow Mastery
- PDF on beating deadlines with ease using the Touching the Keys Technique
Recent Posts
ADHD – Victims and Survivors
Is ADHD real? It seems like everyone has it now. What symptom isn’t ADHD? Isn’t it over-diagnosed? In a lively 4th of July discussion, these questions sparked a deeper conversation about agency, personal responsibility, and the power of self-determination. Discover how reframing our understanding of agency can transform our approach to mental health and productivity.
A Visit and a Game
Maybe there’s a point to doing nothing?
On the Word “Harmony”
The term "harmony" finds its way into many places. But I worry if its power has dissolved, diluted among commerce and culture. But a pause brings its beauty and power from whatever had once obscured it, never truly lost, patiently awaiting an observer, should we ever...
“Maybe I Just Need Another List…”
Dealing with our work is more than making a list. But what skills do we need?
“I’ll figure it out myself…”
How do you move from a bored, “Why don’t I get this?” to “I’m going to figure this out for myself?”
When “Just Do Something” Paralyzes …
"Have I really just watched 5 episodes?" or "Clean this, pick up that, do the dishes, and oh yeah - the living room, ..." Restless waves can carry lost and frenetic feelings. Whether bingeing away or cleaning in a flurry, a subtle undertow may flow beneath without...
The Excellent Textbook
Some textbooks are better than others. Some are just amazing.
A Nameless Place
How do you define productivity? Could craftsmanship be more the target?
Why Doesn’t AI Tell Me What to Do Already?
Aren't we all perfectly on top of our tasks and lists by now? Hasn't technology fixed it all already? It hasn't? Why not? I thought we've gotten pretty good with this whole AI-Internet-Computer thingy. _________________________ When we come home at the end of the day,...