How could this activity involve other people?

Having a mix of alone time and team time in my creative work is important for psychic harmony.

Sometimes I need to sit quiet in my studio for three hours and write until the vein is out.

Other times I need to break the box I’ve put around myself, rejoin the world of other people and start collaborating.

Now, the vast majority of the time, it’s easy to tell which mode is needed and when. But sometimes my antisocial tendencies get the best of me. Sometimes my ego preserves the illusion that I don’t need other people.

In which case, it’s good to have a calibration tool. Here’s a powerful question that I started asking, both on smaller tasks and larger projects:

How could this activity involve other people?

Simple and direct. It’s a micro practice adapted from the cognitive behavioral therapy world. And by asking such a question, you’re shining a torch into your thoughts, assumptions and beliefs. In this particular case, around the subject of connection.

Let me share a case study of this tool from a recent project.

When I decided to build a software as a service platform, I knew that the process would be frustrating, challenging and worst of all, isolating. There was a mountain of tasks to be done, from researching to writing to brainstorming to organizing data.

None of which could be done by anyone other than me.

At least for the first two months.

And that was fine, but it brings us back to the antisocial thing:

How could this activity involve other people?

Because of the nature of my forthcoming work, I was going to have to make a special effort to deepen my direct participation with the world. Redefining the current experience with my work in relation to others.

The solution? I started sending out progress reports. Every two weeks, six of my closest friends and colleagues received an email with the latest updates on my creative endeavor.

As I wrote them in the first issue:

Hey guys, I will be sending these progress reports to keep myself accountable and connected to friends during the process. The goal is to share updates, ask for feedback, or just get encouragement that I’m not completely out of my damn mind with this idea. Thanks in advance for your support.

These letters were deeply meaningful.

First, they made it easy for me to share important moments with people I loved so we could experience things together.

Second, the letters reminded me that I’m never alone in this world unless I want to be.

Third, the progress reports created a platform of expression for everyone, which helped build momentum during the development process.

Ultimately, the progress reports taught me that connection is the great force multiplier. It’s an asset that amplifies effort, increases potential and raises your chance of winning.

Compare that to isolation, which is a force divider. Giving in too frequently to our antisocial tendencies degrades our efforts and makes things more difficult than they would otherwise be. Isolation not only blocks our connection to others, but also limits our access to opportunity.

Keep calibrating your experience by asking that question.

Find the right balance for your psychic harmony, and you’ll become more prolific than you ever dreamed.

Can you let be okay that you need other people?