It’s tempting to squeeze as much efficiency out of your days as possible, but in doing this, you risk forfeiting your best insights. Ideas rarely arrive just on time. It’s best to accommodate the unpredictability of the cre- ative process by allowing yourself some margin. If you think something will take an hour, give yourself …

Think back to a time when someone gave you a word of encouragement that lit your fire. What did they say? Why did it matter to you? How did it change your perspective or energy? Isn’t it strange how one comment at the right time can stick with you for years? One person speaking directly …

Most people like to keep their options open. We wait until the last minute to commit to social engagements in case something better pops up. In the workplace, we wait until we absolutely must make a decision before doing so just in case a better idea comes along. However, that indeci- siveness typically trickles down …

In Cervantes’s Don Quixote, the namesake character sees several wind- mills off in the distance and—confusing them for giants—believes that fortune has given him an opportunity to rid the world of several hulking beasts. He tries to fight them but falls off his horse. This is the source of the phrase tilting at windmills, which means inventing …

Gustav Mahler wrote much of his brilliant music in between his respon- sibilities as a conductor. In fact, he wasn’t even known as much of a com- poser during his lifetime, only having his work broadly celebrated after his death. Albert Einstein developed much of his theory of special relativity while operating as a patent …

We’ve all been there. You have a sudden burst of creative insight, and you think “That’s it! This is clearly the most brilliant idea I’ve ever had!” You share it with someone else, and they stare at you blankly. They don’t understand why you’re so enthusiastic. Frustrated, you get even more animated, thinking you haven’t …

No matter how much you love your job, it’s common to grow stale over time. You’ve seen the same patterns and problems and people over and over, and each day can feel like going around the same traffic circle over and over. “Look, kids, Big Ben! Parliament!” (Bonus points if you get that movie reference.) …

Maybe you’re in the midst of challenging times right now. Or maybe this is one of the best seasons of your life and career. Either way, know this: it’s going to end. There will come a point when you have to move on, and this all will be a memory. In the moment, it can …

So often, creative pros talk about “finding their voice” as if it’s some far- off entity that must be hunted down and captured so that it might be put to work. That’s not even close to reality. The way in which voice is developed is far less exotic—they try and fail, then they try again, …

I once spoke at an event for senior U.S. Air Force officers where one of the other speakers was a former U.S. Army general. In the green room before the event, he caught me by surprise as I was stuffing a blueberry muffin into my mouth and asked, “What’s the most important thing to know …