Actively work against what you’ve done before and ‘prune’ your own habits to encourage growth in new ways, seeking novelty and avoiding repetition in creative endeavors.
Never allow yourself to do the same thing twice when writing to encourage growth and freshness in your work, and consider handwriting to access deeper thinking.
Develop a high tolerance for discomfort, as actually doing the thing you’re afraid of is often what solves the problem and helps you move forward.
Be willing to experience brief discomfort by letting go of old approaches that aren’t working, as this can lead to a sense of relief, possibility, and freshness in your work.
Actively cultivate genuine curiosity, as it eliminates boredom, makes everything interesting, provides access to complications, and acts as a joy provider by waking up your surroundings to possibilities and treasures.
Engage in writing to think more clearly, make discoveries, and understand your own thinking in ways not possible without it.
Write your first drafts by hand (in cursive) to achieve a meditative or concentrating quality, detach from the world, and access deeper levels of thinking and originality.
Use handwriting to bypass the critical part of your brain that censors and tries to fix things too early, allowing for a more relaxed and forward-moving drafting process.
Print out your work and edit by hand on hard copies, as this process can lead to significant improvements and new ideas.
Develop the habit of regularly asking for feedback in all areas of your life—work, relationships, and personal endeavors—as this willingness is a muscle that can lead to positive growth.
As your own ability to read your work freshly diminishes, become increasingly dependent on the voices of other people to provide objective feedback and help you achieve your vision.
When receiving uncomfortable criticism, allow your brain’s problem-solving mechanisms to kick in, as this focus on solutions can distract from negative emotions and help you benefit from good advice.
When writing about subjects or experiences outside your direct knowledge, perform due diligence by having at least one person who knows that area better review your work to ensure accuracy and authenticity.
Recognize and learn to manage your internal ‘abusive boss’ or harsh self-talk, understanding that the best response is often to simply do the work and improve self-management over time.
When experiencing harsh self-talk or an unsupportive internal working environment, the best answer is to simply focus on doing the work, as action can be the solution to internal conflict.
On days filled with self-critical thoughts, recognize it as a day ’to not listen to myself’ and try to work around it, using tools like exercise to shift your state of mind.
Over time, cultivate faith that feelings of inadequacy or self-doubt do not necessarily mean you cannot accomplish a task; these feelings can be present while still moving forward.
Engage in writing as an act of control, which can instill a sense of empowerment to respond to the world and create steadiness, especially during anxious moments.
When experiencing panic, engage your prefrontal cortex (the thinking brain) through activities like writing to help deactivate the amygdala (fear center) and cut the panic.
When experiencing panic, try reading fiction, as it can engage a part of the brain that helps to calm and soothe.
Approach your work as a thrill seeker, actively avoiding repetition to ensure continuous discovery, growth, and a sense of excitement in your creative process.
If you find your own experiences less engaging, shift your focus to curiosity about other people’s lives and external subjects, as this can be a source of discovery and creative inspiration.
Allow yourself to be ’nosy’ and delight in hearing people’s stories and learning about anything, as this curiosity helps transcend the limits of individual experience and expands your perception of the world’s enormity.
To truly perceive and appreciate the enormity and mystery of the world, allow yourself to feel the tininess, even vanishing, of your own individual life, as this connection is a pathway to experiencing awe.
When experiencing success, remain grateful and aware of the role of luck, understanding that many others are equally deserving, to keep a grounded perspective and avoid false humility.
After acknowledging success and good fortune, consciously set aside accolades and personal achievements to prevent them from becoming distractions that detract from the quality of your core work.
Recognize that highly amplified and constant conversations, especially those tending toward hysteria, can have a distorting effect on the topic itself, and approach such discussions with caution.
Recognize when language and arguments are ‘speaking you’ by using predictable words, phrases, and arguments you’ve heard, and strive to get beyond this to more original thought.
When giving feedback, carefully observe the signals from the person asking for it and consider their current phase in the process to provide the most helpful and appropriate response.
While seeking feedback, acknowledge and respect that everyone’s creative process is radically different, and avoid presuming to dictate how others should create.
Understand your own brain’s predispositions and sensitivities to altered states, as what might be transcendent for some could lead to feeling lost or unable to return for others.