Effort does not equal innovation

If harder work guaranteed better results, we’d all be thriving.

But effort ≠ innovation.

My biggest breakthroughs have never come from 14-hour days. They’ve come when I slowed down, got grounded, and gave myself space to think differently.

In recent years, I've realized that the month of August is one of my most creatively productive times of the year, when some of my best ideas and insights emerge. So now I've become more intentional about designing the conditions for creativity around this time of year, which include:
✨ Deleting social media apps from my phone (today marks day 7 - halfway to my goal!) and putting it away outside of work hours
✨ Resisting the urge to fill every free hour with reading or podcasts (two of my favourite things to do so this is a tough one!), and instead listening to instrumental playlists with my journal always nearby
✨ Watching the sunrise every morning, and spending at least 1-2 hours in the evening looking out across the water (the photo below captures the view from the dock of my cottage - loved the clouds on this particular morning!)

All of this creates space for whatever wants to come through.

And I’ve learned these principles apply to corporate creativity and innovation too.

I’ve watched brilliant leaders and teams burn themselves out chasing productivity… only to discover their creativity had flatlined.

💡 Innovation doesn’t come from:
❌ Hustle
❌ Burnout
❌ Doing more of the same (or more in general!)

It comes from:
✅ Space
✅ Reframing
✅ Permission and approaches to think differently

Businesses don’t win by outworking the competition. They win by out-creating them.

As you plan for the year ahead, try shifting the questions from:
🚫 “How can we do more?” or “How can we move faster?”
to:
✅ “How can we create space?” and “How can we create conditions that enable us to think differently?”

I'd love to hear from you!
👉 How do you create space for new ideas to emerge?
👉 Planning your next innovation or research program, and want to explore a new approach? Let's connect!