You aren't crazy… something is making writing harder nowadays

Is writing getting harder?

We have more tools, information, and opportunities than ever before. But, for all its benefits, does our modern environment make creativity more difficult?

Let's explore whether or not modern life is crowding out our creativity. We'll discuss what we can do as writers to deliberately create space for what matters most.

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⏱️ TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Why writing feels harder

01:49 - Modern life crowds out creativity

02:46 - Why mind wandering matters

04:40 - The brain’s creative default mode

07:00 - The missing incubation stage

08:23 - The constant stimulation problem

09:48 - Input versus creative processing

12:37 - Why connection isn’t always conversation

14:31 - Constructive controversy fuels creativity

18:48 - The modern writer’s divided attention

20:15 - How attention residue affects writing

21:43 - Protect what actually moves the needle

24:36 - Creating the conditions for writing

📖 RESOURCES MENTIONED

• Mind Wandering Facilitates Creative Incubation: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22941876/
• People Are Increasingly Bored in Our Digital Age: https://www.nature.com/articles/s44271-024-00155-9
• Default Mode Network Electrophysiological Dynamics and Causal Role in Creative Thinking: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11449134/
• Mind Wandering During Creative Incubation Predicts Increases in Creative Performance in a Writing Task: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12241419/
• Mass Communication and Para-Social Interaction: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00332747.1956.11023049
• Conversations and idea generation: Evidence from a field experiment: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0048733319301313
• Energizing Learning: The Instructional Power of Conflict: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.3102/0013189X08330540
• Constructive Controversy and Creative Process Engagement: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jasp.12494
• The Challenge of Attention Residue When Switching Between Work Tasks: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0749597809000399
• Eisenhower Matrix: https://www.eisenhower.me/eisenhower-matrix/
• Beyond Dopamine Reward Circuitry: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21402948/
• Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence by Anna Lembke, MD

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