How useful is creativity?

The Creativity Question

I've been reflecting deeply on my strengths and weaknesses lately. Some traits are straightforward to measure—conscientiousness through the Big Five personality test, for instance. Others, like creativity, prove far more elusive. By creativity, I mean the ability to generate original ideas that actually solve problems.

With hundreds of possible traits why does creativity get its own post: Nearly 90% of my impact has come from just a handful of creative insights. The very concept of AIM itself transformed my impact trajectory—enabling us to launch 44 projects in 7 years instead of the mere 3 I might have started as a serial entrepreneur. That's a 15x multiplier on impact.

Yet I constantly hear and do deeply buy that "ideas are cheap, execution is what matters." Of all the creative ideas I've encountered, fewer than 5% created meaningful change. And many highly effective people I admire don't seem to prioritize creativity at all, focusing instead on grit or competence.

What Jobs care about Creativity?

The highest-impact roles that benefit from creativity aren't necessarily the obvious ones. It's not about becoming a famous documentary maker. I see it more about amplifying already high-impact roles and making someone's competitive advocate a good fit for them. Roles like founding or grantmaking. Some roles that seem to benefit less from this trait include management, operations, and even most CEOs. Ones that seem good are listed below.

• Grantmaking/Philanthropy: Seeing connections within ecosystems that others miss

• Policy Work: Identifying non-obvious leverage points within complex systems

• Founding For Profits: Solving problems in ways competitors haven't imagined

• Founding NGOs: Solving challenges that others struggle with on limited resources

The Puzzle Piece Method

My most valuable creative approach works like collecting puzzle pieces:

1. I retain fragments of information that feel potentially valuable

2. Later, these pieces combine in unexpected ways to form breakthrough ideas

For example:

• Puzzle Piece #1: An idea for an "AIM sorting hat" career testing program that didn't quite work

• Puzzle Piece #2: The observation that leadership, fundraising, and campaigning are the three critical skill gaps in the animal advocacy movement

• Combined Result: A multi-career training program letting people test the five key roles missing in animal advocacy—roles with substantial skill overlap that could be experienced in a compressed timeframe

The trick is developing an instinct for which pieces to keep. Actor names in movies I watch? Delete. A talented project lead seeking their next role? Save. The most valuable puzzle pieces often carry a feeling of both surprise and significance.

The Creativity Formula

I have a sense of how to come up with more ideas in a given day. Three aspects seem pretty key.

1. Exposure to novel stimuli

2. Abundant low-stakes social contact

3. Time to remix and incubate ideas

Novel Stimuli

My creative insights often emerge in unfamiliar environments. A conversation while wandering through a museum led to seeing work challenges through entirely fresh eyes. While major changes like international travel certainly work, I get similar benefits from smaller novelty—taking a different route to work or having a drink in a new bar.

Low-Stakes Social Contact

As an extrovert, I thrive on social interaction—but creativity flourishes with specific conditions:

• People I don't regularly talk to (fresh perspectives)

• Relationships deep enough to move beyond small talk

• Conversations free from professional pressures

The conversations must feel non-transactional. At work conferences, I carefully filter half-formed thoughts. With trusted friends in relaxed settings, creativity flows.

Remix Time

Many of my best ideas emerge during weekends or holidays. While collecting puzzle pieces requires active effort, combining them demands mental space and a playful mindset. This remix phase happens most effectively through:

• Relaxed social spaces with trusted confidants

• Solo journaling or writing sessions

• Regular meditation to create mental spaciousness

The Creative Optimization Challenge

Here's a dilemma: an optimally creative day looks nothing like my productivity-optimized workday.

The Perfect Creative Day:

• Biking to a new museum while listening to an audiobook

• Exploring exhibits with someone holding different perspectives

• Journaling insights at a nearby café

• Reading from a physical book on an unrelated topic

• Taking a rejuvenating nap

• Sharing a meal and conversation with a close friend

My Typical Work Day:

• Back-to-back meetings

• Email management

• Teaching other staff useful knowledge

• Highly optimized office environment (multiple screens, shortcut-rich peripherals)

Currently, I have perhaps 3 creativity-optimized days per year versus roughly 300 productivity-optimized days. Should I increase to one creativity day per month?

How much to Focus on Increasing Creativity?

How many days per year should I dedicate to creativity? Assume for sake of the question I found a project as my next job.

P.s. my top book on creativity is a A Whack on the Side of the Head: How You Can Be More Creative (one of my few 5/5 ranked books).