Limited Edition

Better results through constraint

I’ve had a hard time writing this newsletter in the past week or so. There are a lot of big ideas in my head which I couldn’t seem to get into the shape. It might sound strange but it is not always easy to convert an idea into an email. I want everything I send to be interesting and the lack of constraints here makes it harder at times.

With a blog or a newsletter there’s the space and freedom to do anything — and that’s the problem. I have been doing ACL (on and off) since 2007 and the only direction or limits have been my own. Everything, for better or worse, is driven by my instinct and my curiosity. Over time I’ve learned that the lack of limits don’t make it any easier.

All of this made me think — the lack of limits is something we all are experiencing more and more in modern life. So much of what we do seems limitless now. You can work every second of the day from anywhere in the world. Every song ever recorded is available at any moment. You can spend your entire day chasing the news cycle. Everything feels never-ending and every incentive seems directed toward keeping the wheels turning. Though, it doesn’t all have to be this way. Recently the unlimited nature of life has also helped me to appreciate how good restraint can be for my mental well-being and my creative process.