When it comes to software or a service we provide, downtime is something to be avoided at all costs.
We don’t need to look further than the Fastly and Akamai internet service outages that occurred within the past few months to see the negative effects. These unrelated internet hosting issues combined to take down the websites and mobile apps from many of the world’s largest brands including Hulu, New York Times, CNN, Twitch, Reddit, Spotify, Vimeo, Amazon, Chase, and many more.
Despite being only 49 minutes long, the downtime caused by the Fastly outage alone has been estimated at $32 million in lost revenue.
Downtime causes the gears of every system built using our platform to grind to a halt, costing us (and our customers) money, and inviting a flurry of angry support emails.
When necessary, we can schedule downtime in advance in order to mitigate its negative effects, but this type of downtime is certainly not something we want to invite more of into our lives than is absolutely necessary.
And so we do everything within our power to maintain peak productivity.
When it comes to our creativity, however, downtime is essential.
Rather than grinding to a halt, downtime greases the gears of our creative system, allowing us time and space to process the seeds of ideas that have been planted but haven’t yet started to grow.
Downtime is when unexpected connections are made, sparking new ideas and spotting opportunities.
Downtime feels unproductive, as though it’s not helping us move forward towards completing our projects and achieving our goals. And yet, without regular downtime, we burn out… of ideas, energy, motivation, inspiration, and everything else that is essential to being “productive.”
Much like a software product, creative downtime is best scheduled in.
Unlike software, however, it should be scheduled more often than we think is necessary, even daily, if possible.
How we spend that downtime is up to each of us to decide. Walking, reading, journaling, drawing, exercising, or puttering around are all good options. If it works for you, simply stare at a blank wall and let boredom (or your creative mind) take over.
What matters is that we regularly and intentionally create the time and space to refuel, recharge, and let our best ideas rise to the surface, unsuppressed by the never-ending busyness that otherwise occupies our attention.
The important entries in our calendars and items on our to-do list will take care of themselves, whether or not we make space for them. The seeds of ideas in the back of our minds, and undiscovered connections waiting to happen, however, won’t.
Creativity thrives on downtime. Schedule it more often.
Explore how to navigate a creative life that matters
This article originally appeared in my weekly Creative Wayfinding Newsletter. Each issue is the product of a week of work, and contains something not available for sale.
A fresh perspective, a shot of encouragement when you need it most, and maybe even some genuine wisdom from time to time.
Each week, we explore a different facet of the question “How do we navigate the wilds of creating work that matters?”
It’s something I’m proud to create and I’d be honoured to share it with you.
0 Comments