Back to work Quote by Colson Whitehead
“I always have a few ideas that are percolating, and then after I've finished a book and it's a year later, and things are sort of festering and things are disgusting in my house and I have to get back to work, whatever project I keep thinking about is the one I end up working on. Sort of a very simple process of elimination.”
About This Quote
Source Interview: The New Yorker, 2023
Ideas linger until they become urgent, then they surface as the next project when circumstances force attention.
In simple terms: Ideas stay hidden until they become urgent.
Key Takeaway
Act on ideas when they become urgent.
Themes
creativity
productivity
focus
Mood
reflective
determined
Type
advice
personal narrative
When to use this quote
- writing
- research
- home renovation
- personal projects
Key Concepts
psychology of procrastination
idea incubation
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you decide which idea to pursue?
- What triggers the shift from thought to action?
A Different Perspective
Ideas may be ignored too long, losing relevance.
![“Irish tory employers hid[e] their sweatshops behind orange flags, and Irish home rule landlords us[e] the green sunburst of Erin to cloak their rack-renting in the festering slums of our Irish towns.” quote by James Connolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/948/james-connolly-16823_behinds_irish-tory-employers-hid-e-their-sweatsh_911280.jpg)
