Many people think that time pressure makes them more creative. They procrastinate and wait for inspiration in the hope that a cut-and-dried solution will present itself once the pressure gets really high. Unfortunately, though, psychological research has shown that this is not how it works. As it turns out, most people are less creative when under time pressure. Time pressure reduces one’s ability to concentrate. It is simply more difficult to get into the flow when one worries about time, and one’s cognitions become less flexible. Plus, there is less time available for exploring different approaches and solutions.

Then again, working way ahead of the deadline is not always profitable either. Often, essential information only becomes available at a later stage and, not uncommonly, detailed plans have to be discarded again because they don’t fit with newly presented requirements. Therefore, in many creative professions, people typically show a U-shaped pacing style. They start task activities early to familiarize themselves with the task and to get acquainted with the topic. Then, they put the work aside. They allow ideas to simmer, without actually working on the task itself. Later, when the deadline approaches, they return to the task, get down to it, and finish it in a relatively short time period.

The thorough preparations, followed by a period of incubation, allow for ideas to be formed and weighed, after which sufficient time remains to develop them into applicable, smart solutions for complex problems. And that is “where innovation starts”!