Plan. Fail. Reflect. This is a loop, a life cycle that I’ve been turning around in my mind for about a year now. The idea comes from software development but you can apply it to any creative process. It’s a path to getting results quicker.
When they started building software, they built it the way they’d built a car or an airplane. They planned everything out in advance, down to the tiniest nut and bolt, then built the the thing. This works.
This works well if you know exactly what you’re building before you build it.
Often times when we’re making art, we don’t know what we need to build until we’re immersed in the journey. This is where Plan Fail Reflect comes in. Here’s how it works.
Plan
Sit down with paper and a pen. Write out what you want and how you’re going to get it. Make a plan, man! When we plan regularly, we cultivate intent and renew our motives. Doing this alone will change your life.
Fail
Take your plan out into the world and execute it asap. Don’t expect perfection. Throw yourself out there and embrace failure. Failure is the quickest way to find the weak links in your plan. Truman Capote said, “Failure is the condiment that gives success its flavor.” Confronting failure makes us brave. Fail early. Fail often. Fail fabulously.
Reflect
Failure bruises the ego. After you fail, give yourself some time to calm down. Be still. Reflect. Ask some tough questions. “What could I have done differently?” How could my plan improve?” “Did I talk too much? Not enough? Did I wear the wrong shoes?” Tweak your plan and fail again. Then reflect again.
Plan Fail Reflect. Plan Fail Reflect.
After a few times through the loop, plans start to evolve. This is no longer a singular plan. It becomes an adaptive species that lives, dies and gives birth. The plans refine themselves with each new generation.
The hidden takeaway: Quantity produces quality. Want results? Produce a lot. Ray Bradbury told his students to write every day. Stephen King demands at least 10 pages from himself per day. The Rolling Stones released 15 albums between 1964 and 1974.
We forget the forgettable songs. The gems shine through.
They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. What about doing something slightly different each time and expecting a different result? Is that the definition of sanity?
I’m not saying there is anything wrong with insanity. Nope. I’m just saying plan, fail, reflect. Plan. Fail. Reflect.
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