There’s a quote in one of the books I read recently that stuck with me:
Separate the processes of creating from improving.
You can’t write and edit, or sculpt and polish, or make and analyze at the same time.
If you do, the editor stops the creator.
I don’t know about you, but I often used to find myself tinkering before I had even built anything. Rewriting the first sentence five times. Adjusting colors before the layout even made sense. Rethinking strategy before the first user has even touched the product.
It feels productive. But it’s not. It’s the editor showing up too early.
While you invent, don’t select.
While you sketch, don’t inspect.
While you write the first draft, don’t reflect.
Let things be rough. Let them be incomplete. Let them breathe.
There’s a time to shape, refine, and smooth things out. But not at the beginning. Not when the idea is still soft and fragile.
At the start, the creator mind must be unleashed from judgment.
If you’re building something from the ground up, don’t waste time chasing perfection too early. And if you’re anything like me, the only way to get to something good is by starting with something messy.
So, maybe give your editor a little break.
Let your creator out to play.
