It’s not uncommon for elite athletes to travel to high-altitude locations to train.

The idea is that if they’re able to train their bodies to perform in a difficult, low-oxygen environment, where the conditions for peak performance are not ideal, they’ll be able to perform even better during competition when the conditions are ideal.

There’s a lot we as creators can take away from this practice.

Too often we defer on creating until the conditions are right.

When we have the right tools.

When we’re in the right environment.

When we have something clear to say.

When inspiration strikes.

Much like the fairweather athlete, these are the requirements of amateurs.

If we want to live up to our potential with our work, we need to master the habit and the skill of creating when the conditions are not ideal.

As with truly elite athletes, the best way to achieve this is to actively seek out these less-than-perfect conditions and get good at creating in spite of them.

We can deprive ourselves of the best tools, or even seek out the clumsiest tools possilble.

We can seek out environments full of distraction, discomfort, and annoyance.

We can sit down to work when we’re uninspired and feeling like we have nothing worthwhile to share.

No, the work we produce with these limitations might not great.

It might not even be good.

But be If we train our creative muscles in the most difficult environments possible, we can break down the self-imposed requirements for creating.

More often than not, these are simply a place to hide after all.

Then, when the conditions are right, we’ll find ourselves primed to make the absolute most of them.

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