When you run your own business everyone has advice for you. I hear things like: You need to focus. Find your lane and stay in it. You can’t make money pursuing all these projects. Ok, that last one was my own voice.

I started internalizing these comments – and then I started to beat myself up. Sure, staying streamlined and focused on deliverables may be the path to riches. But there is more to life than riches. Besides, do I really want to say “streamlined” and “deliverables” all the time?

Here’s the thing, I’m wired with a creative mind (so are you). I like to pursue ideas that capture my imagination even if I don’t know where they might lead. Sometimes those ideas come in waves, leaving me with many projects on the go. Balls in the air, if you will. I won’t lie, it can be maddening and messy, but it is also fulfilling and fantastic.

I was reading Messy by Tim Harford (great title, no?) and the first chapter set me straight. Working on projects in parallel has at least four primary benefits.

You can bring an idea from one project into another project. Flitting between projects frequently increases the likelihood of such cross-fertilization.
New projects bring novelty, activate curiosity, and foster excitement. This one doesn’t need explanation. You know this to be true too.
When you are working on one project, your subconscious is actually working at a deeper level on the other projects. The human mind is an amazing tool and it will deliver incredible results under the right conditions. I remember this insight from my studio arts program in university.
Multiple projects ensure that you don’t get stymied for too long. When you get stuck on one project, you can easily escape to another project. You can regroup and return to that first project later.

Don’t beat yourself up when you have a lot on the go. Embrace it. Follow your passions. Trust your instincts. Lean into your creativity – it’s more authentic than streamlining deliverables all the time.

Inspiration

Harford, T. (2016). Messy: How to be creative and resilient in a tidy-minded world. London, UK: Little, Brown. (Chapter 1: “Creativity”)

Too Many Balls