Walk into any high-end newsroom in London or NYC, and you’ll see two types of desks. One is clinical: a single laptop, a succulent, and a notebook aligned at a 90-degree angle. The other looks like a paper factory exploded.
Guess which journalist usually gets the “front page” scoop? It’s almost always the one with the explosion.
We are living in an era of Peak Efficiency. We have apps to track our deep work and calendars blocked out to the minute. But in our quest to be perfectly “optimized,” we are accidentally killing the very thing that makes us successful: Serendipity.
1. Creativity is a Side Effect of Chaos
If your day is planned with 100% efficiency, there is 0% room for the unexpected. The best headlines I’ve ever written didn’t come from a “brainstorming session” at 10:00 AM. They came from a stray comment overheard in a hallway or a random book I picked up because I was bored.
The Insight: Efficiency is great for executing a plan, but it’s a disaster for finding a new one.
2. The “Efficiency Trap”
There is a law in economics called Jevons Paradox. It suggests that as a resource becomes more efficient to use, we don’t use less of it; we use more. When you become “efficient” at clearing your inbox, you don’t get more free time. You just get more emails because people realize you respond quickly. You aren’t winning the game; you’re just running faster on the treadmill.
3. Build “Strategic Slack” into Your Day
In the newspaper business, we always leave “white space.” You don’t fill every square inch of the page immediately because you need room for the breaking news that hasn’t happened yet. You should treat your life the same way.
The 20% Rule: Leave 20% of your day completely unplanned. No meetings, no errands, no “learning.”
Go for a “Stupid Walk”: Take a walk without a podcast. Let your brain itch. That itch is where the big ideas come from.
4. Perfection is a Boring Read
From an editorial perspective, perfection is flat. Conflict and imperfection create a narrative arc. If you are a brand, a freelancer, or a leader, stop trying to present a perfectly polished veneer. People don’t connect with “optimized” robots; they connect with humans who have a few rough edges and an interesting perspective.
