As someone who creates content, I have many ideas.
As a result, I have many plans.
As a result, I have many drafts.
And finally, as a result, I have many content.
…right?
Ugh.
I believe this is the universal struggle of people working in the creative industry.
You can have a million ideas, converted into a thousand plans, converted into a hundred drafts.
And yet zero content. Zero actualization of the drafts.
And there are many factors contributing to this. Maybe you’re not in the right mood. Maybe the timing is not suitable. Maybe you lack research & proof. Maybe some technical issues happen that day, like your laptop’s not working or something.
It’s annoying, really. And when that happen to me, I would feel really bad about myself & beat myself up.
“Why am I incapable of putting things out? The idea is right in front of me!”
“I don’t find the best way to deliver this idea. Does this mean my idea does not have its worth?”
“I missed my own due, I am such a terrible person.”
Well, at least I used to do that. Now I don’t.
Why did I stop?
Firstly,
I understand that this is a usual problem in creating things.
Like I said, it’s a universal struggle, for content creators alike, to the broad range of people working in the creative industry. It is not a unique experience of mine. Even the greatest people encounter this, so why would I downgrade my own self as not being great?
Secondly,
I understand I cannot organize everything in my mind.
Especially for someone who overthinks to much like me.
To elaborate, I used to be afraid missing out on ideas. As a result, I tried to keep track as much as possible; write it down, record it, or whatever.
Until it got to the point where it is practically impossible to do so.
On average, people think about 60,000 to 80,000 thoughts a day. That's an average of 2500 – 3,300 thoughts per hour.
Could I really keep up with all of that? As an over-thinker, in addition?
When we forget things, it does not mean they totally fly away from our minds. Instead, what we mean by ‘I forget’ is usually ‘I am unable to retrieve the information in my conscious state.’
That idea is still there somewhere. And though you may not be able to recall it at the moment, it would jump in when being triggered in the future moment.
Learning that, I learn to loosen myself up. I tried to observe my thoughts like I’m observing clouds; some are interesting enough to ponder, but it’s more calming to just watch them in a whole bunch.
And unlike clouds, ideas don’t go away when I don’t look at them. They would still be there. In the future, I might encounter something, that may approve or disprove, elaborate or simplify, my ideas. Thus, in this sense, my ideas would grow slowly up until the point it’s worthy enough to pay my attention to; and finally to deliver to you.
Thirdly,
I understand that making more drafts is essentially making more content, even if it is unrealized (instead of a waste).
If out of 10 draft I may get 1 blog post, then out of 100 draft I may get 10 blog posts. Then out of 1000 I may get 100 blog posts, where 1 of them is a masterpiece.
Okay, maybe being a masterpiece is a bit of stretch. But I’m not gonna lie, there are quite a number of posts that I’m proud of:
All of them, do not just come out of accident.
All of them, sit for a long time as drafts, as I gradually build up more knowledge & insights about the topic.
Yes, it is annoying that the fact that I need to go through thousands of drafts to get just one masterpiece. But again, unrealized draft is normal in this field. And it’s okay. And they are not a waste.
Some need better timing to produce, some need to be revisited, some just need a proper mood to set it up, etc
But all of this should not hold me from making more & creating more, for all of us.
As a general takeaway for all of us, unexpected or almost-to-succeed failures, are not at all a waste. Each of them teaches something unique & specific to us, in order for us to build & craft more success in the future.
Thus, do not let them halt you. Instead, they should motivate you to try more, do more & make more.
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