Out of Chaos an organizing newsletter
Process is Messy
I was with a client yesterday, helping her put together binders to manage a big renovation project she is working on. It all seemed cumbersome, and I kept thinking, there has to be a better way. But as I asked her questions, I realized that even though the system she had devised was not the most elegant, it was working for her. I am always looking for the simplest, most streamlined system, which is great when you are paying bills or filing tax documents, but the truth is, some projects require a little more creativity and streamlined isn’t always optimal.
It reminds me of a story I heard on the radio recently about procrastination. We all think procrastination is bad, and it is, to a point. But studies showed that while people who procrastinated until the last minute tended to produce rushed, uneven work, those who didn’t procrastinate at all tended to produce acceptable but unimaginative work, probably fine for most situations. However, it was the people who procrastinated a little bit who found the creativity sweet spot. Of course this might not be procrastinating at all; it might just be process.
Every time my client sifts through notes and images she has clipped as inspiration for her project, it breaks the old executive rule of “only touch each piece of paper once.” But that rule doesn’t apply to creative projects. Whether it is an “inspiration wall” in a clothing designer’s studio or a piece of wood and a pebble found on the beach that my client is taking to her meeting with the architect and designer, creativity isn’t always linear and doesn’t always benefit from ruthless executive function.
Process is messy, and sometimes an “imperfect” system is perfect after all.