Useful Constraints
“Nothing is more paralyzing than the idea of limitless possibilities. The idea that you can do anything is absolutely terrifying.” - Austin Kleon
Constraints improve creativity, increase productivity, and make life more enjoyable. They provide clarity when presented with seemingly infinite options. Why is it hard to see limitations as a good thing in the moment?
Benefits of creating limitations, real or arbitrary, continue to show up in my reading. I prefer clear restrictions or deadlines for a project. And I bet I’m not alone. Without tangible ways to show progress, it’s difficult to stay motivated and push hard in a specific direction.
Improving Creativity
Limitations drive solutions. When we pay closer attention to problems directly in front of us, we observe unexpected answers that are lurking. We reconsider items that were overlooked before for solutions. The first step to improving anything is finding a weak spot. Only when you identify the weakness can you begin to work on it.
Compounding allows meaningful improvements to come from repeated efforts in the right direction. The feedback we receive from each repetition allows us to learn, adjust, and build again. Next time at a higher level. When these efforts are compiled they form our foundation of skill and knowledge. If we spend enough time focused on the right process, it’s only natural to improve. This is why behind each “overnight success” there are 5, 10, or 20 years of reps.
The earlier we begin creating the more time we have to collect reps and learn from them. Original and excellent work is born from iterations.
“Every artist has a limited set of tools to work with. Every athlete has a limited set of skills to train with. Every entrepreneur has a limited amount of resources to build with. Once you know your constraints, you can start figuring out how to work with them.” - James Clear
If you’re presented with a multitude of options at the beginning of a project, it can feel paralyzing.
“We enjoy art not in spite of the constraints that artists hold themselves to, but because those constraints allow their talents to shine.” - Kevin Simler
Increasing Productivity
How do we know where to begin a project if there are no constraints? A task becomes immediately less intimidating when there is a formula to follow. However, the best work comes from finding a balance between following guidelines and creating your own path. We can't produce something meaningful by following someone else’s step-by-step list. However, we are being resourceful by beginning with a formula and using the momentum to explore our own direction. This is how we stand on the shoulders of the giants that have been there before us; from personal mentors to legends we are chasing.
An example of self-imposing constraints, Monet, purposefully limited his subjects, repeatedly painting pictures by the dozens of subjects like grain stacks and water lilies. This arbitrary constraint allowed him to focus on exploring how light changes and his discovery sparked a transition in the art world from representation to impressionism, setting the stage for twentieth-century artists such as Picasso.
Constraints can act as a forcing function to help you focus on a project. A common suggestion to increase productivity is to do fewer things and do them better. When we are focused, we can do “anything” but that does not mean we can do everything.
Time constraints are effective for me. Using a Pomodoro timer (25 min on task, 5 min off) provides two challenges simultaneously. First, it forces me to work quickly, which cuts out the desire to indulge in unnecessary distractions. Second, it engages my working memory requiring me to remain conscious of the ticking clock.
Parkinson's Law says that a task will take up any amount of time and space that it is given. Patrick Collison’s list of “fast accomplishments” shows some wild examples. It makes me wonder why progress is often stunted in large-scale projects. Here are two key examples:
Apollo 8. On August 9, 1968, NASA decided that Apollo 8 should go to the moon. It launched on December 21, 1968, 134 days later.
BankAmericard. Dee Hock was given 90 days to launch the BankAmericard card (which became the Visa card), starting from scratch. He did. In that period, he signed up more than 100,000 customers.
Finding Fulfillment
Constraints give your life shape. Remove them and most people have no idea what to do: look at what happens to those who win lotteries or inherit money. Much as everyone thinks they want financial security, the happiest people are not those who have it, but those who like what they do. So a plan that promises freedom at the expense of knowing what to do with it may not be as good as it seems. - Paul Graham
Implementing rules can provide a structure to gently guide us to outcomes and experiences we strive for. One of my favorite writers, David Cain, makes a strong case for strict personal rules. Common examples of someone living within personal rules would be “I run before work on Mondays and Wednesdays” or “I don’t eat before Noon.”
The freedom we are all searching for (time, flexibility, choosing meaningful work, money, etc.) is born from discipline. We should embrace personal rules if we are serious about capturing these freedoms.
Cain asks, “Who’s more free? The person determined to live on significantly less than their means, no matter what, or the person who shops like a “free spirit?”
Rules like these allow us to make good decisions in batches. When presented with a new choice, we spend zero willpower because according to the rule we already know how to respond.
For some reason, we tend to assume that “keeping our options open” means living with more freedom. But a range of options is just a range of possible behaviors, and personal rules are a simple way to eliminate broad categories of bad or mediocre behaviors from your repertoire—ones that reliably lead to debt, strained relationships, remorse, and other freedom-destroying conditions.
You’ll notice the most successful or wise people seem to excel in areas they set up constraints. Individuals with a vast breadth of knowledge spend time reading and thinking each day. The fittest individuals don’t miss workouts. Those present at home aren’t emailing frequently right before, during, or after dinner time.
Practicing these rules develops muscle memory. Vocalizing them may face resistance from others at first but over time co-workers or friends will come to learn that you hold true to your constraints and will work around them.
Clear rules reduce the need for approval, the stress of trying to have everything both ways, and the necessity of constantly explaining yourself. - Cain
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