Grand creative visions translate into small daily increments

July 31, 2018 11:08 AM

Microexecution is the incremental ability to create meaningful work in a limited time frame.

Let’s unpack that definition one chunk at a time.

First, incremental. Which means leveraging the gloriously underrated power of compound interest. Doing your work one chunk at a time. Moving the mountain by taking small bites out of it. Chipping away at the mass in front of you.

Second, ability. Because execution truly a skill. It’s a muscle. There’s a side of your being that needs to be disciplined. You have to professionalize your habits. And in a world where nothing is predictable, discipline is the only thing you have control over.

Third, create. Not curate or collect or copy or consume, but create. From whole cloth. You make something out of nothing. You render the feelings, thoughts and emotions inside your body into something real. Graduating from dreaming to doing. Moving from idea to i-did.

Fourth, meaningful work. Which is made, not found. You are the arbiter of meaning in your life. There’s no permission. There’s nobody asking you to make things for them. Your art is internally generated. You hire yourself and get to work. And you gain a sense of efficacy through these small but not insignificant achievements.

Fifth, limited. This is the secret. The time frame is the constraint that sets your creativity free. The fact that you only have a few fleeting moments a day to chip away at the work forces you to make the most out of it. But you make it all work because you create in the tiny cracks and pockets of time.

Finally, time frame. It’s a ritual. A habit. And contrary to popular conditioning, this kind of behavior won’t detract from spontaneity or creativity. Quite the opposite, in fact. Ritual brings us into contact with our own capacity for discipline. Ritual insures that we use as little conscious energy as possible where it is not absolutely necessary, leaving us free to strategically focus the energy available to us in enriching ways.

That’s microexecution.

It’s the incremental ability to create meaningful work in a limited time frame.

And understandably, it’s unpopular because it requires discipline, patience, trust, delayed gratification and most importantly, the skill to concentrate anytime, anywhere.

And did I mention enthusiasm? That’s the glue that holds the microexecution process together.

Ford’s famous speech comes to mind.

You can do anything if you have enthusiasm. Enthusiasm is the yeast that makes your hopes rise to the stars. Enthusiasm is the sparkle in your eyes, the swing in your gait, the grip of your hand, the irresistible surge of will and energy to execute your ideas. Enthusiasts are fighters. They have fortitude. They have staying qualities. Enthusiasm is at the bottom of all progress. With it, there is accomplishment. Without it, there are only alibis.

Remember, all grand creative visions translate into small daily increments.

Master the art of microexecution and nobody will be able to stop you.

Including yourself.

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