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Edition #219 – March 14th, 2024
​A newsletter by Anne-Laure Le Cunff​

The Curiosity Conflict

Do you always find yourself excited by new ideas and projects? Being naturally curious, you enjoy learning, discovering new insights, and developing your skills. Your curiosity is one of your greatest strengths, driving you to explore and grow.

But that same curiosity can be a double-edged sword. With so many ideas competing for your attention, it can be hard to decide which one to pursue. You might experience choice paralysis, unable to commit to a single project because you don’t want to miss out on the others. As a result, you may find yourself starting many projects but only finishing a few.

This is what I call the “curiosity conflict”: the phenomenon where your greatest asset for creativity—your curiosity—can get in the way of your productivity. In short:

• High curiosity is what allows you to generate lots of creative ideas; it makes it easy to ideate.
• High curiosity is also what makes it difficult to focus on one idea; it can make it hard to execute.

The curiosity conflict can fuel a frustrating cycle that leaves you feeling stuck despite your wealth of ideas and your love for learning.

Curiosity’s Double-Edged Sword

Curiosity is connected to the brain’s reward system, which is heavily influenced by dopamine. When you encounter novel stimuli, your brain releases dopamine, which motivates you to learn more. This dopaminergic response is thought to be a key factor in the drive for exploration.

Research has shown that people with higher levels of curiosity tend to have greater activity in brain regions associated with reward processing. This heightened sensitivity to potential rewards may explain why highly curious people are more likely to engage in exploratory behavior and seek out new experiences.

But this same reward-seeking mechanism can also contribute to difficulty focusing on a single idea or project. When presented with multiple new ideas or projects, the curious brain may experience a surge of dopamine in response to each potential reward. This can create a sense of excitement and a desire to explore all the possibilities, making it challenging to commit to just one path.

In essence, the curiosity conflict arises from the brain’s struggle to shift from exploration to exploitation: the dopaminergic reward system that fuels curiosity can make it difficult to transition from the excitement of exploration to the more focused work of exploitation. How can you make that shift easier?

Resolving the Curiosity Conflict

The constant pull between the excitement of new ideas and the need to focus on one project is a natural part of the creative process. Fortunately, there are strategies you can use to navigate the curiosity conflict and make the most of your curious mind.

1. Keep a curiosity inbox. Whenever you get a new idea, write it down in a specific note or on a dedicated page in your notebook. Then, each time the idea pops back into your mind, give it a mark or increase its rating. Over time, you’ll develop a ranked list of ideas based on your long-term interests. This strategy allows you to continue exploring new ideas while also identifying which ones have the most potential for further development, which is a great way to manage your ideas without stifling your curiosity.

2. Shield time to shift from exploration to exploitation. Choose one idea from your curiosity inbox and spend an hour drafting an execution plan. Break down the idea into smaller, actionable steps and consider what resources you’ll need—time, money, support—to bring it to life. Feel free to use an AI companion to clarify your execution plan. By explicitly carving out time for envisioning the shift, you’ll make it easier to move from broad exploration to focused exploitation.

3. Partner with a Doing Buddy. Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak in the early days of Apple are a famous example of a thinking/doing duo. Jobs was the visionary thinker, while Wozniak was the engineering wizard who turned those ideas into reality. Similarly, identify someone in your network who has a knack for getting things done and partner with them to help bring your idea to life.

4. Practice metacognition. Make sure to regularly reflect on your progress so you can balance exploration and exploitation. Think about ways you can focus your curiosity when executing on an idea. You can use the Plus Minus Next method to conduct a weekly review and assess what’s working, what could be better, and where you want to direct your efforts. The “next” column will help you recognize when you’re getting pulled in too many directions and make a conscious choice to focus.

5. Embrace the joy of missing out. Your curiosity can make you more acutely aware of the potential benefits you’re foregoing by committing to one project over others. This heightened sensitivity to missed opportunities can fuel indecision and make it harder to focus on a single idea. But having many interests is a strength, not a weakness. Remind yourself that there will always be new ideas to explore. Trust that you’re not missing out by focusing on your current project.

The curiosity conflict is a natural part of the creative process. By implementing these strategies, you can leverage your curiosity while also making tangible progress on your ideas, and you’ll feel better equipped to turn your ideas into reality.

👀 Into the Mind of...

MELODY WILDING

Each week I ask a curious mind about their habits, routines, and rituals. This week I had the pleasure to chat with Melody Wilding, executive coach for sensitive strivers and author of the book Trust Yourself. Her thoughtful writing will resonate if you’ve ever felt like your work was “not good enough”.

One strategy to restart your creative engine? Taking a step back from social media and unfollowing those I admire or see as competitors. It gets me out of the comparison trap and gives me the confidence and clarity to bring my own thoughts and ideas to life.

One anchor ritual to reconnect with yourself? Whenever I’m stuck in a moment of self-doubt or harsh self-criticism, I use the THINK tool. I ask myself: Is this thought true, helpful, inspiring, necessary, or kind?

One mindset shift that transformed your work? The realization that we teach people how to treat us, especially when it comes to our time and work processes. For example, if we always respond to emails or messages immediately, day or night, we inadvertently teach colleagues and clients that we're always on call.

Read Melody’s book

🤝 Brain Trust

If you enjoy the newsletter, you'll love our community of curious minds who grow together through interactive workshops and safe discussion spaces. Here is what we have planned next week:
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​• Explore the art of taking breaks. Join Gosia Fricze for our next Creative Hour on Monday at 1pm UTC to think of ways to ensure that your breaks are stress-free and restorative. You’ll leave the session with a clear plan and a piece of original writing.
​• Tackle your projects. Make progress on your to-do list while enjoying the company of fellow community members. Lukas Rosenstock and Javier Luis Gomez are hosting coworking sessions on Mondays and Thursdays, covering all timezones.​
• Review your progress this month. Join me for a one-hour fireside chat on March 27th at 4pm UTC where we’ll review your personal experiments, what worked, what didn’t, and what you want to focus on next. It’s a great way to build accountability and get to connect :)

All of these and future events are included in the price of the annual membership ($49), as well as access to the recordings of all our previous sessions and past cohort-based courses.

🌊 Brain Waves

Have a friend who wants to make the most of their mind? Send them the newsletter using your unique referral link below and unlock Reflective Minds, a database of good questions from great thinkers and creators.

Until next week, take care!
Anne-Laure.

P.S. Did you know your brain is playing tricks on you?