If the more than 50 open tabs across my computer screen are any indication, there are always more things to focus on than my brain and the hours in my schedule allow (Clearly, time for a laptop reboot). Whether online or in person, I regularly seize opportunity, investigate possibility, and steep myself in potential to the point of near overwhelm.
It’s a modern malady. An affliction of excess choice. But I have always loved the idea of choice - so many things to try or do or learn or explore! And since taking in what the world has on offer is a part of the creative process, why not embrace it all ? I might just find some magic there.
A full screen - literally or figuratively - means sources of inspiration, wells of knowledge, stories, colors, ideas. It’s amazing. And It’s healthy creative practice to have a few ongoing projects - when one becomes stalled, you can shift to another without losing steam.
But keep too many possibilities open, and a brain popping with idea kernels can stall forward progress on everything.
When every shiny opportunity promises its own kind of magic, how can we know when all that potential is actually too much? How can we keep all those inputs from getting in the way of our own creativity?
Several years ago, a friend introduced me to the “center of the screen” concept. Instead of treating all those open tabs (or to-do list items or potential reads or activities) as more or less equal, she urged me to consider what I really wanted to put front and center for my limited time and attention. It turns out declaring it CAN sometimes make it so.
What belongs in the center of our screen?
Honestly, sometimes I wish it could be food. When I can’t seem to decide which muse to follow, I can definitely morph basic nourishment into a passion project. But as deliciously fun as it may be to focus “what should I eat now?” that’s not really a sustainable plan.
Other times, deadlines swallow the screen, creating urgencies that are hard to deny. But like meals, deadlines come and go. The real center is what we choose.
Balancing new possibility against faithful old stand-bys will always be a challenge. New things often take over by virtue of their newness and the learning curve involved, along with a desire to perform well (pickleball, anyone?) But centering the latest thing doesn’t get rid of otherwise valued priorities - parenting, managing the calendar, daily creative work, community interests all just become like my neglected open tabs, eating up processor bytes.
Intentional me knows that when I face the onslaught of daily possibility without a plan, I’ll do everything and nothing. To access the center of my screen, I tune into what’s on my mind when I first wake up each morning, what I think about during “shower time” and what I want to describe as priority. As a way of effectively evaluating and choosing among seemingly endless options, it’s a start.
There’s also this handy tool for sorting through priorities. It helps to identify the center among the crazy quilt of familiar, varied, attractive, odd, serendipitous, enriching, or tempting. And once I dial into the real priority, it helps me remember to not crowd out the work of the moment.
None of us can write all the stories, paint all the paintings, eat all the treats, or do all the things. When possibility clutters the desktop or the calendar, let’s stay in our centers and make the most of our creative and productive time. Right now, that’s where the magic is.
How do you access the center of your screen?
Do you know someone who’d like to think about where to find magic in their dailyness? Share this newsletter with 2 friends and they can journey with us!
Stephanie, I see myself (and my screen!) in this- I'm definitely an idea hoarder. I've come up with ways to put some ideas away for later, though occasionally I'll find them again in someone else's published book before I get back to them. Very helpful post- thanks!