--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Although moderate levels of time pressure…" description: "\"“Although moderate levels of time pressure don’t harm creativity,” says Amabile, “extreme time pressure can stifle creativity, because people can’t dee..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e0/carl-honor-10241_creativity_although-moderate-levels-of-time-pressur_1576916.jpg" --- # Although moderate levels of time pressure don’t harm… ![“Although moderate levels of time pressure don’t harm creativity,” says Amabile, “extreme time pressure can stifle creativity, because people can’t deeply engage with the problem. Creativity usually requires an incubation period; people need time to soak in a problem and let the ideas bubble up.” We” quote by Carl Honoré](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e0/carl-honor-10241_creativity_although-moderate-levels-of-time-pressur_1576916.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e0/carl-honor-10241_creativity_although-moderate-levels-of-time-pressur_1576916.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e0/carl-honor-10241_creativity_although-moderate-levels-of-time-pressur_1576916.jpg) > ““Although moderate levels of time pressure don’t harm creativity,” says Amabile, “extreme time pressure can stifle creativity, because people can’t deeply engage with the problem. Creativity usually requires an incubation period; people need time to soak in a problem and let the ideas bubble up.” We”” [Carl Honoré](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-honor/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Extreme time pressure limits deep thinking, reducing creative output. **In simple terms:** Too much pressure hurts creativity. Key Takeaway Allow time for incubation. Themes creativity time pressure productivity Mood thoughtful analytical Type advice insight When to use this quote - project planning - design sessions - research - writing Key Concepts psychology incubation problem solving Questions to Reflect On - How can you schedule buffers for deep work? - What tasks need more time? A Different Perspective Creativity can still suffer if deadlines are unrealistic. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [To switch right into creativity usually takes a bit of time, and this came up right at that juncture where I thought, okay, here's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-reznor/to-switch-right-into-creativity-usually-takes-a-bit-of-time-and-this/) [Trent Reznor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-reznor/) > [Written reports stifle creativity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-perot/written-reports-stifle-creativity/) [Ross Perot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-perot/) > [Clear thinking at the wrong moment can stifle creativity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-lagerfeld/clear-thinking-at-the-wrong-moment-can-stifle-creativity/) [Karl Lagerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-lagerfeld/) > [“But every time a client tells me to just “blue sky” something, or that they don’t want to “stifle my creativity,” I have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-every-time-a-client-tells-me-to-just-blue-sky-something-or-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“On Lego's "Listen, I don't want to stifle your creativity, but that thing you built there, it looks a pile of shit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-halpern/on-lego-s-listen-i-don-t-want-to-stifle-your-creativity-but-that/) [Justin Halpern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-halpern/) > [You can't let regret stifle your creativity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-green/you-can-t-let-regret-stifle-your-creativity/) [Tom Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-green/) > [All those things you hear about networks trying to stifle creativity - CW lets creators create and gives us freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-bloom/all-those-things-you-hear-about-networks-trying-to-stifle-creativity/) [Rachel Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-bloom/) > [When you are under time pressure for a decision, you need to follow intuition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/when-you-are-under-time-pressure-for-a-decision-you-need-to-follow/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [I don't respond well to time pressure - when you're in the studio, with the clock ticking, and the record company's waiting for you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corinne-bailey-rae/i-don-t-respond-well-to-time-pressure-when-you-re-in-the-studio-with/) [Corinne Bailey Rae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corinne-bailey-rae/) > [“We find a tendency, under time pressure, to apply overdoses of established measures.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-d-rner/we-find-a-tendency-under-time-pressure-to-apply-overdoses-of/) [Dietrich Dorner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-d-rner/) > [“As for time, it is forever shrinking. Oppressed by multitasking and managerial efficiency, we live under a perpetual time pressure. The disease of this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-boym/as-for-time-it-is-forever-shrinking-oppressed-by-multitasking-and/) Svetlana Boym > [Research has shown that time pressure leads to tunnel vision and that people think more creatively when they are calm, unhurried and free from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-honor/research-has-shown-that-time-pressure-leads-to-tunnel-vision-and-that/) [Carl Honore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-honor/) > [“To keep the absolute difficulty level constant, whenever you increase the time pressure on a player, you should also reduce the amount of intrinsic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-adams/to-keep-the-absolute-difficulty-level-constant-whenever-you-increase/) [Ernest Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-adams/) > [“People under time pressure don’t work better—they just work faster.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-demarco/people-under-time-pressure-don-t-work-better-they-just-work-faster/) [Tom DeMarco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-demarco/) > [“We have a tendency, under time pressure, to apply overdoses of established measures.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-d-rner/we-have-a-tendency-under-time-pressure-to-apply-overdoses-of/) [Dietrich Dörner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-d-rner/) ## More by Carl Honoré > [“Speed can give you a great feeling of excitement, and there is a place for that in life and in music," says Kliemt. "But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-honor/speed-can-give-you-a-great-feeling-of-excitement-and-there-is-a-place/) [Carl Honoré](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-honor/) > [I always felt through writing that I wanted to rotate the world slightly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-honor/i-always-felt-through-writing-that-i-wanted-to-rotate-the-world/) [Carl Honore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-honor/) > [In this media-drenched, multitasking, always-on age, many of us have forgotten how to unplug and immerse ourselves completely in the moment. We have forgotten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-honor/in-this-media-drenched-multitasking-always-on-age-many-of-us-have/) [Carl Honore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-honor/) > [Whether it's mending a failing company, fighting corruption, tackling disease, or rebuilding a marriage, the hardest problems defy just-add-water remedies. Indeed, slapping on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-honor/whether-it-s-mending-a-failing-company-fighting-corruption-tackling/) [Carl Honore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-honor/) > [Warnings about children being overscheduled, racing from one enriching activity to the next, first surfaced in the early 20th century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-honor/warnings-about-children-being-overscheduled-racing-from-one-enriching/) [Carl Honore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-honor/) > [Smaller families mean we have more time and money to lavish on each child. Parents are more anxious because small families give them less…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-honor/smaller-families-mean-we-have-more-time-and-money-to-lavish-on-each/) [Carl Honore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-honor/) > [In this media-drenched, data-rich, channel-surfing, computer-gaming age, we have lost the art of doing nothing, of shutting out the background noise and distractions, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-honor/in-this-media-drenched-data-rich-channel-surfing-computer-gaming-age/) [Carl Honore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-honor/) > [“While the rest of the world roars on, a large and growing minority is choosing not to do everything at full-throttle. In every human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-honor/while-the-rest-of-the-world-roars-on-a-large-and-growing-minority-is/) [Carl Honoré](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-honor/) > [I love all this stuff. I look at all the gadgets that come out and I think, ‘Oh, this fix works for me. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-honor/i-love-all-this-stuff-i-look-at-all-the-gadgets-that-come-out-and-i/) [Carl Honore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-honor/) > [Slow parents understand that childrearing should not be a cross between a competitive sport and product-development. It is not a project; it's a journey.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-honor/slow-parents-understand-that-childrearing-should-not-be-a-cross/) [Carl Honore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-honor/) > [This is where our obsession with going fast and saving time leads. To road rage, air rage, shopping rage, relationship rage, office rage, vacation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-honor/this-is-where-our-obsession-with-going-fast-and-saving-time-leads-to/) [Carl Honore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-honor/) > [Many kids, particularly in lower-income families, would actually benefit from more structured activities. Plenty of children, especially teenagers, thrive on a busy schedule. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-honor/many-kids-particularly-in-lower-income-families-would-actually/) [Carl Honore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-honor/) > [“Much has already been destroyed. We have forgotten how to look forward to things, and how to enjoy the moment when they arrive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-honor/much-has-already-been-destroyed-we-have-forgotten-how-to-look-forward/) [Carl Honoré](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-honor/) > [“When people moan, “Oh, I’m so busy, I’m run off my feet, my life is a blur, I haven’t got time for anything,” what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-honor/when-people-moan-oh-i-m-so-busy-i-m-run-off-my-feet-my-life-is-a-blur/) [Carl Honoré](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-honor/) > [I could be working 300 hours a week. I just say 'no.' The power of slow is the power of no. I can't go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-honor/i-could-be-working-300-hours-a-week-i-just-say-no-the-power-of-slow/) [Carl Honore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-honor/) [Explore all 67 Carl Honoré quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-honor/) ## More Creativity quotes > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“The Soviet “creative intelligentsia” - that is, people accustomed to thinking one thing, saying another and doing a third - is as a whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-amalrik/the-soviet-creative-intelligentsia-that-is-people-accustomed-to/) Andrei Amalrik > [It’s so important to create in your own voice, to hold onto what makes you unique, and have faith in your vision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lasseter/it-s-so-important-to-create-in-your-own-voice-to-hold-onto-what-makes/) [John Lasseter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lasseter/) > [A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/a-rock-pile-ceases-to-be-a-rock-pile-the-moment-a-single-man/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [You don't get lucky. You create lucky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sharma/you-don-t-get-lucky-you-create-lucky/) [Robin Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sharma/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [“You are the end of beauty and creativity one must have created so far.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer/you-are-the-end-of-beauty-and-creativity-one-must-have-created-so-far/) [M.F. Moonzajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-moonzajer/) > [Jonah Lehrer is one of the most talented explainers of science that we’ve got. What a pleasure it is to follow his investigation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-foer/jonah-lehrer-is-one-of-the-most-talented-explainers-of-science-that/) [Joshua Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-foer/) > [If you've got creativity, imagination, and intelligence, and you want to be hypnotised, then there's no reason you shouldn't be able to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-barry/if-you-ve-got-creativity-imagination-and-intelligence-and-you-want-to/) [Keith Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-barry/) > [“I believe in magic. As a writer, I create them on blank paper.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonnia-kemmer/i-believe-in-magic-as-a-writer-i-create-them-on-blank-paper/) [Sonnia Kemmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonnia-kemmer/) > [Creativity is like chasing chickens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christoph-niemann/creativity-is-like-chasing-chickens/) Christoph Niemann > [It is proposed that a form of free dialogue may well be one of the most effective ways of investigating the crisis which faces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/it-is-proposed-that-a-form-of-free-dialogue-may-well-be-one-of-the/) [David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/) > [You always hear actors say, 'Theater is my first love,' and it is. It's a time when you really get to do what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-landecker/you-always-hear-actors-say-theater-is-my-first-love-and-it-is-it-s-a/) [Amy Landecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-landecker/) > [Create an environment for people to fail, to learn, and to grow. Their creativity and productivity will increase.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/create-an-environment-for-people-to-fail-to-learn-and-to-grow-their/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 13,625 Creativity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Although moderate levels of time pressure don’t harm creativity,” says Amabile, “extreme time pressure can stifle creativity, because people can’t deeply engage with the problem. 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