The 1-Hour Rule (of Creativity)
I have tens of thousands of unshared images collecting (digital) dust.
I have terabytes of footage that have never seen the light of day (or the flicker of a screen).
I’m notorious for capturing life – only to never share anything I create.
There’s something about the personal expectation I have, and the finished product never living up to it.
When I capture something, I have a vivid vision in mind.
But when it comes time to polish and publish the finished work, I’m left feeling unsatisfied.
The finished piece often loses its magic in my mind.
After spending hours, days, months, or even years perfecting a creative project – sharing it with the world can feel so disappointing.
If something means so much to you personally, it can be difficult to share that thing.
It’s like the kindergartner being told to share his favorite toy.
“Heck no. Why would I do that?”
But after spending years of my life imprisoned to this perfectionism, I’m flipping the script.
And here’s the simple rule I’ve created for myself.
The 1-Hour Rule (of Creativity)
Instead of:
- spending hours “perfecting” the unimportant details of a project
- never starting a project in the first place (because it feels overwhelming)
- being selfish and never sharing my favorite “toys” with others
I’m setting a boundary that makes creating and sharing my work so much easier.
I call it the 1-Hour Rule. And here’s how it works:
- Give yourself 60 minutes to work on a new creative project
- Once the 60 minutes is up – your work is complete
- Share it. Ship it. Post it. Publish it.
- Repeat
Persistence > Perfection
Regardless of what you create, this rule applies.
Record something in 60 minutes.
Design something in 60 minutes.
Paint something in 60 minutes.
Write something in 60 minutes.
Edit something in 60 minutes.
Tell a story in 60 minutes.
You’d be surprised what one hour of focused work can produce.
And best of all – you’ll have no other choice but to call it complete when the time is up. No more stressing about the never-ending ongoing projects that haunt you day after day and week after week. We all know this feeling – right?
I’ve personally been using this 1-hour rule to create each social post and it’s working wonders. I’ve started sharing more of my work over on Instagram, you can follow my new account here!
Happy Saturday, I hope you have an awesome weekend.
–Eric Pfohl
