The two modes of creativity (and when to best engage in them)

Creativity is a vague and loaded term. However, it is vital when we’re trying to find innovative solutions to complex problems.

Curiously, creativity entails taking things we already know and rearranging them in novel ways. It comes in two modes: a discovery mode and an implementation mode.

The discovery mode is what most of us regard as “being creative”: coming up with new ideas. Examples include raw drafts of a concept, presentation, or design. Colloquially called “brainstorming”, doing that works both individually and together with co-workers.

The implementation mode is about taking the raw draft (of that concept, presentation or design, say) and refining it into a more concrete form. Being a “deep work” task, that mode requires us to keep out distractions. As I’ve explained at length in earlier posts, that’s something we’re best at during 45 to 90 minutes of focused work, preferably when working alone.

As it turns out, these two modes require different levels of mental energy. We can best summon the focus necessary for implementation mode when we’re highly alert.

Conversely, and somewhat surprisingly, discovery mode works best when our alertness is low. Scientists call this the “inspiration paradox”. The reason: When we’re drowsy, our brain is less able to exert top-down control, and due to the looser mindset, we’re better at “thinking outside the box”. In short, low mental energy is a curse for creative implementation, but a blessing for creative discovery. So, conceiving of new ideas works best by leveraging phases of structurally low alertness for creative discovery.

This practice, which I’ve termed “creative defocus”, has two simple steps. First, determine your chronotype by taking the Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ). Second, time your creative discovery bout accordingly. If you’re a morning lark or intermediate third bird, do it in the afternoon. If you’re an evening owl, go for it in the morning. Eureka!

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Until next week,
Christian