Iterate

I have found that when I am producing something, working on something, the best thing to do is to do it in several steps. To iterate.

Whether you are problem-solving, preparing a board presentation, thinking through a strategy, or writing a customer proposal ... walk away from it, think about it, refresh, and then come back to it. Putting some time between you and your task brings new perspective.

I'm also a big believer in feedback, in iterating with stakeholders. Talk to people about your project, about your thought process - test your hypothesis and approaches.

Bottom line, good work comes when we allow ourselves the space and opportunity to iterate.

I have written a few children's stories. Documenting some of the stories I used to tell my kids. All of them are the product of writing, stepping away and writing again and I've found it makes me more creative. The other day, I read one of my stories to a second grade class. The kids liked it a lot, and reading it out loud for the first time, and seeing the kids reacting to certain parts of the story gave me a lot of new insight which I know will make me just a little better..

Step back, gain perspective.

Iterate