Day theming and the creative process
Is this structured approach truly compatible with any type of work, or are we falling into another productivity trap?
In this week's book-inspired experiment, we'll explore ‘day theming’ through the lens of “Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals” by Oliver Burkeman and "Deep Work" by Cal Newport.
There is an ongoing debate about our collective obsession with productivity, particularly the trending concept of day theming. Let's start finding out the answers to these questions: Is this structured approach truly compatible with any type of work, or are we falling into another productivity trap?
"This is all very nice," you say - Monday for brainstorming, Tuesday for drafting, Wednesday for editing, Thursday for networking, Friday for admin tasks. The big promise is so fantastic, it sounds too good to be true? In that case, use a secondary promise: increased productivity and better work-life balance.
A mistake. Here's what day theming doesn't account for: the unpredictable nature of creativity. Contrary to what some may say, creativity can't be scheduled like specification down to the last nut, bolt, pump, and pipeline.
You may never get a second chance to capture that burst of inspiration at 10 PM on Thursday or that unexpected interview opportunity during your designated writing day. Many good ideas are killed this way, bound by rigid scheduling.
In other words, as Oliver Burkeman highlights in "Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals," our obsession with squeezing productivity from every moment is ultimately futile. You don't have to reinvent the wheel - our finite time is best spent embracing life's natural rhythms.
There are a few reasons why this matters. Cal Newport's "Deep Work" presents a compelling counterpoint. That's a lot of splashing around in productivity techniques, but we need to place a high value on intentional focus while maintaining flexibility.
You can draw your own conclusion, but in my opinion, no - day theming isn't the answer. The sum of your creative potential can't be confined to scheduled blocks.
A handy five-step sequence that can help you embrace creativity more naturally:
Give yourself permission to follow inspiration
Accept unstructured time as valuable
Take walks without immediate "ROI"
Create flexible frameworks
Trust your creative rhythms
Heck no — it's neither ordinary nor useless to take time for spontaneous creativity. Would you pay the price of rigid scheduling to save a few hours of perceived productivity? The benefit and the reward are clear: richer creative work and more authentic expression.
Answers to those questions and more are here in this simple challenge: Dare to be unproductive. Dare to be spontaneous. Because the wisdom from both Burkeman and Newport reminds us that meaningful creative work isn't about optimizing every moment - it's about living fully.
For a quick refresher on creative freedom, go back and reread this whenever you feel trapped by rigid productivity systems. The answers you need; stop and read.