April 23

When your laptop grinds to a halt or you experience the “spinning wheel of death,” it’s usually because you have too many programs open. You only have so much random access memory (RAM), and when much of it is utilized by open programs and documents, the computer lacks the resources to spend on new initiatives. There are simply too many dormant programs occupying RAM and not enough of it free to tackle the new tasks.

Similarly, when you have many, many open creative loops occupying your mind—even in a dormant manner—it can stall your progress. It begins to feel a little like you are moving a wall forward an inch at a time rather than making real progress on the work. How do you remedy this? Either close some loops, or agree to put them on the back burner until you have the bandwidth to deal with them.

What are your three most important open creative loops right now? Spend the bulk of your effort on these.

The rest? Keep a list and plan when you’ll think about them. Simple, but effective.

You only have the bandwidth to process so many open loops at a time. To succeed, clear your creative RAM.

Which are your three most important open loops right now? Which open loops can be put on hold for now?