Rigidity Vs. Creativity

Ben Greenfield argues that strict schedules kill creativity and well-being. He uses the metaphor of an unbending tree that snaps in the wind versus one that bends and survives, contrasting rigid people who burn out with those who adapt and flow.
Chapters
All right, let's talk rigidity versus creativity. Rigidity is kind of the enemy of creativity. See, the human who is a rigid slave to their wristwatch is a slave to their calendar and a slave to their schedule. And this type of rigid adherence to time is eventually going to break that human psyche. Now, great men and women certainly can and do accomplish much via what might be interpreted as strict rigidity. But look closely and you'll find that many of those great men and women also include allowance for free creative flow and oftentimes a lot of free creative flow. Those that do not allow for the flow tend to be unhappy people. Sure, they're impactful people, but they're unhappy people to be happy and simultaneously impactful. See, you have to have a certain strength of body, mind, spirit and character. But you must not confuse that strength with unbending rigidity. Just think about it. The tree that cannot bend will eventually break. So you must have flow and be able to respond with relaxed adjustments to the many curveballs and unanticipated stressors that life might throw at you. But that flow is not to be confused with wobbliness or flakiness. So ultimately, to be a creative person who makes maximum impact on this world with your life's purpose, you must combine focus strength with creative flow and a willingness to allow for constant micro adjustments in your plans that otherwise might seem set in stone. See, it's the weak person who collapses or fears when they lose their calendar or their schedule or their plan or in life doesn't quite go the way they had anticipated. It's the strong person who is resilient, who bounces back, and who allows such stressors to flow like smooth water off of their back. So if you want to learn more about how to release control, I'll include a helpful link to this video where I talk about my own OCD like tendencies. In the meantime, think about it. Were you too rigid? And where can you release some of that rigidity to free up more creativity? It.
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