Do deadlines destroy creativity?

Yes – Deadlines destroy creativity:

• Deadlines will force us to focus on finishing the task at hand rather than coming up with creative ideas.
• Continuously chasing deadlines can make us emotionally exhausted. Hence there will be no motivation to be creative.
• Even if we get creative ideas, implementing them requires more time and analysis. With a short deadline, that will be difficult and hence people will go for routine and already worked out ideas.
• Everyone is different. Some people can be creative under pressure, and some people will bring innovative ideas, only if they are not under pressure. So, giving tight deadlines to those, who cannot cope up with pressure can destroy creativity.

No – Deadlines motivate us to be creative:

• If there are no deadlines, people may keep postponing the task in search of a better creative idea.
• If we get used to being creative, we will be creative even if we have deadlines. Thinking and implementing creative ideas can become a habit.
• With no deadline, we’ll have plenty of time, so we may also think about why the idea won’t work, the possibility of failure. This can indeed kill creativity.

How to be creative under pressure:

• Dividing the task into sub-tasks and keeping small deadlines will reduce the pressure and can give us peace to think about innovative ideas. If we delay the work until the last minute, we cannot think about new ideas.
• Setting some time aside to think about creative ideas also helps.
• Eliminating distractions will give us more time to finish the task, and thereby we can use that time to try and implement new ideas.
• Mistakes do happen if we try something new. So, not being scared of failing and making mistakes can help us in being creative.
• Taking tiny breaks can reboot our brain and can help us in thinking clearly.

Conclusion:

Not everyone can manage to be creative under pressure. Tough deadlines can kill creativity. But reasonable deadlines can spur creative ideas.

Your Turn…

References:

• Creativity Under the Gun

• Does a time limit make you more creative?

• Deadlines Aren’t Killing Your Creativity, It’s Your Approach

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