“To think too much is a disease.” – Fyodor Dostoyevsky
“Your focus determines your reality.” – Qui-Gon Jinn
Last week, I uncovered my biggest creative nemesis. It is invisible, sneaky, and devious. Most people call it overthinking - I call it Steppenwolf.
As a creator, I go through various stages of creative uncertainties. Most often, Steppenwolf comes to light woven in the strive for perfection combined with a fat dose of overthinking. This frequently results in mental blocks that lead to terrible momentum stalls.
The more I spend time and effort on a project, the better it might get, BUT the opposite is JUST AS TRUE. Overcomplicating or giving things too much weight might lead to worse results and, even worse, to more brutal falls if something doesn’t pan out.
I have found 2 effective weapons against Steppenwolf:
Shorter deadlines - reducing the time on a project significantly shrinks the time available for overthinking.
Once complete - NEXT! The immediate shift of focus & energy to the next project reduces instantaneous contemplation and premature analysis/paralysis during clouded judgment. Coming back at the project when the skies are clearer is 10x better.
Now that I can recognize this invisible adversary, I shall stay prepared!
Let’s give this a try 👇🏻
Today I’m announcing a brand new addition to my newsletter:
subscriber chat.
This is a conversation space in the Substack app that I set up exclusively for my subscribers — kind of like a group chat or live hangout. I’ll post short prompts, thoughts, and updates that come my way, and you can jump into the discussion.
To join the chat, you’ll need to download the Substack app (messages are sent via the app, not email). Turn on push notifications so you don’t miss a chance to join the conversation as it happens.
How to get started
Download the app by clicking this link or the button below. Chat is only on iOS for now, but rest assured, it is coming to Android soon.
Open the app and tap the Chat icon. It looks like two bubbles in the bottom bar, and you’ll see a row for my chat inside.
That’s it! Jump into my thread to say hi, and if you have any issues, check out Substack’s FAQ.
I’ve already started my first chat thread, so come on over and say hello!
Latest videos
My favorite thing so far
The new Muted Lines wallpaper pack is an excellent example of not overthinking things. It was a child of an urgent need for creative discharge, and I am pleased with the result.
Favorite BTS moment
This week was about iPadOS 16, Extended Display, and Stage Manager. As exciting as it was, the incoherent behavior of iPadOS beta 16.2 made a few of us quite nervous 😬
I am a massive overthinker as well for everything as an ENFP 🤣 The two weapons you pointed out are so true so I will try to use them too! Joining the app ASAP too! 😊
Iskren just sent a message to subscribers
Iskren just kicked off the new THIS IS IT chat. Read it now in the Substack app.
OK, so I have to install the app to see the chat - after installing it on my Oneplus:
Chat is coming soon to Android. We'll let you know when it's reaady to use.
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