I’m very type A.
My inbox is always at zero, my tasks lists are neat and consolidated. I’m great at saying no and removing clutter. I get things done very fast.
But there’s a downside. I can clear stuff off my plate so often and so quickly that I run a bit dry on ideas and eurekas. I’m so minimalist that sometimes I lack a sufficient stream of new ideas and information to have energy for progress. Sometimes my life lacks sufficient chaos to generate creativity.
When that happens, I have to get a little more reckless. I have to say yes to more stuff, let my inbox get a little crazier, ignore tasks for a while, start multiple things at once, open more tabs, and generally inject chaos and disorder into my work.
It’s very hard for me to do. But I know when I need to. I need more raw material, more scrambling, more time-pressure, less clarity and quiet and simplicity. I need more signals, but the only way to get them is to open my receptors to a lot more noise as well.