Slow is Faster Than Stuck

Why it’s important to schedule in uncertainty

I have always been a slow worker. It’s always taken me a long time to get going on a project, and it’s always taken me a long time to work my way through it. Part of this slowness has been problematic and unnecessary, but part of it, it turns out, is natural and good, and to be embraced.

In my worst moments, which are thankfully mostly well behind me, I would get stuck in an endless loop of struggle and doubt. I would struggle to push through whatever was blocking me creatively, but never sure that what I was doing was right. I was stubborn and dumb, refusing to give up but never really getting anywhere new. I would waste entire days in this loop of creative futility. Meanwhile, intense anxiety and frustration would build up. I would feel worthless. I was often tempted to give up.

In those early days, I would just assume that this lengthy period of experimentation and “seeing what happens” — of “knowing when I see it” — was part of the process.

Thankfully, today, with more skill and experience under my belt, I have learned how to avoid the endless loop of futility, and most of the time, I am pretty confident about my creativity, and very…