The Creative Cliff Illusion

You are wrong about creativity.

Hey friend

Welcome to 200 Word Tuesdays. Where we give you short, actionable ideas to implement in your project management. We promise that you haven’t heard these powerful ideas anywhere else. Let’s get started.

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The Creative Cliff Illusion is a psychological concept describing a common (and wrong) idea about creativity.

Picture this: You sat down and tried to come up with a creative idea for some particular project or goal. After an initial burst of inspiration or progress, you think you’ve hit a "cliff" or peak. You feel that you have thought of your best idea, or the only ideas worth considering. And that further creativity or innovation will just decline.

However, recent research done shows that creativity doesn't drop off as sharply as people think, creativity is not limited, and consistent effort yields continued breakthroughs.

So how do we overcome this?

First, recognise that creativity builds over time. Often your best ideas come after the initial burst of inspiration. Here’s a practical approach:

• Commit to 3 sessions for every idea. After your first brainstorming session, revisit the idea two more times over the next few days. Each time, spend 30 minutes digging deeper, challenging your assumptions, and exploring variations of your initial concept. Develop connections and refine ideas that may not have surfaced immediately.

• Space out your creative efforts. Research suggests taking breaks and returning to your ideas later. This can unlock fresh insights. Spread out your creative sessions over a week.

• Push past the “cliff.” When you think you’ve reached your limit, challenge yourself to generate five more ideas. This extra push often leads to breakthroughs.

• Seek external input. After your third session, share your work and ask for feedback. New perspectives equal new possibilities.

Follow this structured approach to consistently generate more creative ideas than relying on a one-time burst of inspiration.

Let me know how you implement this in your work.

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See you next week,

Jonathan (The Effective Project Manager)