February 23

Creativity is rhythmic. There are going to be peaks and troughs, highs and lows. You can’t treat your creative process (or your team’s) like a machine, or you will get machine-like results: highly predictable and no more than asked. You must embrace creativity’s rhythmic nature.

It’s tempting to measure effectiveness in snapshots. You take a quick glance at how things are going, and you assess what’s working and what’s not based on that limited view. However, this approach doesn’t tell the full story. Instead, you need to measure effectiveness in intervals. What matters isn’t how things are; what matters is how things are trending.

Are you gaining more energy for your work over time, or is your energy waning?

Are you consistently having ideas when you need them, or is it becoming more of a challenge?

Do you feel like you are becoming more focused or less so?

Are you delivering on your expectations more consistently or less frequently?

These are trending questions that can help you gain a better sense of what you need to deliver your best work. When you only focus on here and now, you cannot see where you came from and where you are headed, which is what’s most important.

Measure effectiveness in seasons, not snapshots.

Where is your creative process—and your work—trending toward right now?