Defer decisions as long as possible for maximum creativity

Summary

• Once a decision deadline is known, make your decisions as close to the deadline as possible

Details

• This gives time for new information and ideas to come to you
• It gives time for you to explore new ideas and get comfortable with the ideas

References

• John Cleese on Creativity

Quotes

I once wrote a script for a training film about decision-making, and talked to various experts on the subject. They explained to me that if you have a decision to make, the first question you must ask is: “When does this decision have to be made?” You live in the real world, so there is always a cut-off point.

But once it’s been agreed when that real-world decision has to happen, why make it before the deadline arrives?

Why?

Well, it would be foolish, because if you can wait longer, two incredibly important things may happen.
1.You may get new information.
2.You may get new ideas.

Related

• Creativity is labor intensive - John Adams
• Creativity is a fundamental quality of being human
• Creativity comes from combining previously unconnected things
• Creativity comes from a conflict of ideas - Donatella Versace
• Creativity doesnt happen by chance, we need to have a creative process
• When we reach an impasse at any point in the creative process, it can be helpful to step away from the project to create space and allow a solution to appear - Rick Rubin