The Freedom Trap

March 22, 2012 12:55 PM

Entrepreneurs relish the romantic notion of having no boundaries,
no obligations, no expectations, no responsibilities, no schedule to keep, no
time constraints, no place to be, no one to answer to and no one breathing down
their neck.

That’s why we hired ourselves in the first place. So we could
do whatever we want.

The flip side is, too much freedom is a dangerous thing.

First, it means too many choices, so indecision paralyzes us. And we end up producing less because we’re pulled in too many directions.

Second, it means too much flexibility, so it’s easier to
procrastinate and harder to motivate. And we get bored because work expands to
fill the time given to complete it.

Third, it means too much time, so we feel unfulfilled. And depression
kicks in because having nothing to constantly work on destroys our mood.

Fourth, it means too much reflection, so we default to
negative thinking. And the tendency to sit around feeling sorry for ourselves
is hard to ignore.

Fifth,
it means too much space, so we lack direction and purpose in our work. And we
end upsitting in a coffee shop in the middle of the day
wondering what we should do next.

Sixth, it means too much complacency, so we don’t stay
hungry. And our work ethic declines because there’s nobody to notice if we
don’t execute.

Seventh, it means too much time in our own heads, so we lose
perspective. And we end up standing on a whale, fishing for minnows, because
we’re too close to ourselves.

Alan Fletcher once said the first move in any creative
process is to introduce constraints.

Maybe we don’t need as much freedom as we thought.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

How can you get more done in more time?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…

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* * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

Writing, Publishing, Performing, Consulting

[email protected]

Scott has written and published over 1,000,000 words.