I wrote about creating false dependencies that prevent me from starting things.
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One trick I’ve frequently played on myself is “since THIS isn’t good enough yet, there’s no point in doing THAT.”
I allow a weak link to become a dependency with the power to invalidate the whole chain. 👇
“Since the design for my blog isn’t quite right yet, there’s no point in posting anything.”
“Since I’m not in the shape I want to be in, there’s no point in dressing nice.”
“Since I don’t have a perfect system for organizing my stuff, there’s no point in putting anything away.”
I’m writing about this today because I need to remind myself that these are all false dependencies. They’re tied to self doubt, to a feeling that I’m not good enough, that I don’t have what I need to do X or Y.
I forget that I’m ultimately responsible for setting any dependency.
I have a habit of adding as many false dependencies as possible, aiming for this perfect set of conditions before I can start.
Constraints in creative work are essential and important. Dependencies are not.
A Constraint helps us finish something. A Dependency prevents us from starting something.
A (simple) Constraint: “I have one hour to post 250-500 words.” A Dependency: “Once this (task of indeterminate length) is ready, I can start.”
Dependency is Constraint’s evil twin.