MODERATE PROCRASTINATION

Originals think in a nonlinear way and make unexpected leaps,

they are also often quick to start but quite slow to finish. 

There's a sweet spot where originals seem to live :

they’re moderate procrastinators which makes them 16 % more creative.

Procrastinators are known for being really slow in getting off the ground.

Precrastinators rush in and do everything early but don’t have original thoughts.

Moderate procrastination gives originals time to consider divergent ideas.

The task remains active, incubating in the back of their minds.

A lot of great originals in history were moderate procrastinators,

like Leonardo da Vinci and Martin Luther King Jr.

Da Vinci toiled on and off for 16 years on the Mona Lisa :

the diversions he took in optics transformed the way he modelled light.

MLK delayed the task of finalising his speech until the very last minute :

he had the freedom to improvise and uttered four words that changed the course of history.

BEING AN IMPROVER

It is much easier to improve on somebody else's idea than it is to create,

this is why improvers have a significantly lower failure rate.

Facebook built a social network after Myspace and Friendster.

Yahoo and Altavista already existed when Google arrived several years later.

The first-mover advantage is mostly a myth,

first-movers create the market but improvers succeed.

Originals don't have to do things first,

they just have to be better and different.

FEAR AND DOUBT MANAGEMENT

A lot of originals look confident on the surface,

but they feel the same fear and doubt like the rest of us.

They just manage their doubt differently,

and don’t have the type of doubt that is paralysing. 

Self-doubt leads people to freeze,

idea doubt on the opposite is quite energising.

It motivates them to test, experiment, and refine.

Knowing that they’re just not there yet is the key to being original.

DOUBTING THE DEFAULT

Originals will usually not go with the preinstalled browser on their computer,

they will likely prefer Firefox or Chrome to Safari or Internet explorer.

They take the initiative to doubt the default and not accept the option handed to them,

they’re willing to be a little resourceful and choose to look for other options out there.

They can look at something they’ve seen many times before

but all of a sudden see it with fresh eyes.

Like Jennifer Lee whose script was rejected several times,

until Frozen finally got the green light.

BEING AFRAID OF NOT TRYING

Originals feel fear, they are afraid of failing.

But what sets them apart is they're even more afraid of not trying. 

They know you can fail by starting a business that goes bankrupt,

but you can also fail by failing to start a business at all.

GENERATING MORE IDEAS

So many of us have important ideas but don't bother to try. 

We’re afraid of embarrassing ourselves, of looking stupid, of being judged.

But originals have lots and lots of bad ideas too, tons of them in fact. 

Thomas Edison made creepy talking dolls before pioneering the light bulb.

Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart are three icons of classical music

who had to generate hundreds of compositions to come up with their masterpieces. 

Across fields, the greatest originals are the ones who try and fail the most.

One of the best predictors is the sheer volume of work they produce.

The more output they churn out, the more variety they get.

And the better their chances of stumbling on something truly great. 

NOT BEING THAT DIFFERENT

Originals are not that different from the rest of us,

they feel fear and doubt, they procrastinate, they have bad ideas.

And sometimes, it's not in spite of those qualities but because of them that they succeed.

Being quick to start but slow to finish can boost their creativity.

You can motivate yourself by doubting your ideas and embracing the fear of failing to try.

By remembering that in the long run, our biggest regrets aren’t our actions but the things we haven’t done.

You can have lots of bad ideas in order to get a few good ones.

Being original is not easy but it’s the best way to improve the world around us.

by : antιdrastιc element

based on : Adam Grant’s Ted talk

The surprising habits of original thinkers

photo credιt : familyactionnetwork.net

image credιt : vectorstock, clipart library