In the digital age, we’ve become expert collectors of information. Devices overflow with saved articles, bookmarked websites, screenshots of inspiring quotes, and countless other digital ephemera.
We hoard information at an unprecedented rate, saving everything that catches our attention. It’s all part of the creative process, right? Well…
There’s a crucial difference between collecting and curating, one that can mean the difference between drowning in information and transforming it into meaningful insight. This distinction becomes more important as the volume of noise continues to grow exponentially.
As jazz legend Charles Mingus once observed, “Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that’s creativity.”
The Mingus Principle applies perfectly to how we should handle the constant stream of inspiration we encounter. In a world of infinite noise, the ability to curate effectively has become the essential skill for anyone looking to do meaningful work.
From Info Overload to Insight Gold: A 3-Step Framework
Let’s explore a more intentional approach to handling the information we encounter:
1. Cast a Wide Net
Begin with a broad filter. Allow yourself to capture ideas, insights, and inspiration from diverse sources. This initial phase should be relatively permissive – you never know where your next great breakthrough might come from. Save articles, jot down random thoughts, collect quotes, and gather resources that spark your interest. If it crosses your mind, and seems meaningful, you should capture it. As I wrote in The Accidental Creative, take better notes about anything that sparks your interest.
Unfortunately, this is where many people stop. As a result, they have notebooks filled with random ideas that no longer mean anything, software full of articles that… now why did I save that again?… and scraps of paper or digital notes with random phrases that were going to be the next big thing.
Now, they’re all useless because we didn’t take the time to curate them while they were still fresh.
2. Curate
The magic happens during dedicated curation time. This is when you transform from collector to curator by asking three essential questions of each piece of stimulus that you’ve collected:
- What is this, really? Strip away the surface and identify the core idea or principle. Why did it capture your attention? What is its attractive essence?
- Why does it matter to me? Understand its broader significance and potential impact. Beyond the initial “huh… that’s interesting”, what is the actual, applicable value of this note or spark?
- What can I create with this? Now, envision how this piece fits into your work or thought process. Turn it into something that could fit inside of a project or could become a part of your work. Write down your specific hunch or idea and how it might find its way into your future work.
If you’d like to dive deeper into a system for organizing your stimulus, listen to this episode of the Daily Creative podcast which features my interview with Tiago Forte.
3. Ruthlessly Eliminate
The final step is perhaps the most crucial: eliminate anything that doesn’t serve a clear purpose. If an item doesn’t pass through these filters or feels like it’s adding complexity without value, let it go. This step requires discipline and clarity about your objectives. It also ensures that you don’t lose valuable sparks in a sea of mediocrity.
For the simplicity on this side of complexity, I wouldn’t give you a fig. But for the simplicity on the other side of complexity, for that I would give you anything I have. – Oliver Wendell Holmes
Simplicity on the Other Side of Complexity
The goal isn’t to amass the largest collection of information. Aim to cultivate a carefully considered collection of sparks and ideas that genuinely inspire your work. This curation process helps you move through what Oliver Wendell Holmes called “the simplicity on this side of complexity” to reach “the simplicity on the other side of complexity.”
When you commit to being a curator rather than just a collector, you’ll find that your ideas become clearer, your work more focused, and your creative output more meaningful. The key is to maintain regular curation sessions – perhaps weekly or at least monthly – where you review, process, and either integrate or eliminate the information you’ve gathered.
Remember: The value isn’t in how much you collect, but in how well you curate and what you create from what remains.
