--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The more time you spend mapping out an…" description: "\"“The more time you spend mapping out an approach, the more likely you are to get attached to it. The nonworking idea gets worn into your brain, like a ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b6f/ed-catmull-1553_approach_the-more-time-you-spend-mapping-out-an-a_2724016.jpg" --- # The more time you spend mapping out an approach, the more… ![“The more time you spend mapping out an approach, the more likely you are to get attached to it. The nonworking idea gets worn into your brain, like a rut in the mud. It can be difficult to get free of it and head in a different direction.” quote by Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b6f/ed-catmull-1553_approach_the-more-time-you-spend-mapping-out-an-a_2724016.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b6f/ed-catmull-1553_approach_the-more-time-you-spend-mapping-out-an-a_2724016.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b6f/ed-catmull-1553_approach_the-more-time-you-spend-mapping-out-an-a_2724016.jpg) > ““The more time you spend mapping out an approach, the more likely you are to get attached to it. The nonworking idea gets worn into your brain, like a rut in the mud. It can be difficult to get free of it and head in a different direction.”” [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Over‑planning creates mental ruts; flexibility is needed to avoid being trapped by a single idea. **In simple terms:** Too much planning can lock you in. Key Takeaway Stay adaptable, revise plans. Themes creativity planning flexibility attachment innovation Mood analytical encouraging pragmatic Type strategic inspirational When to use this quote - project management - product development - personal goal setting Key Concepts Cognitive bias design thinking mental models Questions to Reflect On - How do you recognize when a plan becomes a rut? - What steps help you shift direction? A Different Perspective Rigid plans can stifle new solutions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Approach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/approach/) [Approach Likely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/approach-likely-2905091/) [Attached](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attached/) [Mapping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mapping/) [Mapping Approach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mapping-approach-2905090/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“A mapping of discovery should be carried out”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/a-mapping-of-discovery-should-be-carried-out/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [“The System Map is like an internal family tree, though it can be drawn out in whatever format, in whatever way is easy for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-t-w/the-system-map-is-like-an-internal-family-tree-though-it-can-be-drawn/) [A.T.W](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-t-w/) > [If we want to make the best products, we also have to invest in the best ideas... Every dollar we invested to map the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/if-we-want-to-make-the-best-products-we-also-have-to-invest-in-the/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [I have to really think hard about how to structure sentences, and do more mapping when I sit down to write, so it does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-alarcon/i-have-to-really-think-hard-about-how-to-structure-sentences-and-do/) [Daniel Alarcon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-alarcon/) > [“Personal Kanban depicts a wealth of information. It shows you: What you want. What you do. How you do it. Who you do it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-benson/personal-kanban-depicts-a-wealth-of-information-it-shows-you-what-you/) [Jim Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-benson/) > [DJ culture is all about collage - sampling, splicing, dicing - everything is part of the mix, and there are no boundaries between sound…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dj-spooky/dj-culture-is-all-about-collage-sampling-splicing-dicing-everything/) [DJ Spooky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dj-spooky/) > [Mapping, both literal and metaphorical, has always been about our quest for knowing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyamvada-natarajan/mapping-both-literal-and-metaphorical-has-always-been-about-our-quest/) [Priyamvada Natarajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priyamvada-natarajan/) > [A computer is a machine for constructing mappings from input to output.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kirby/a-computer-is-a-machine-for-constructing-mappings-from-input-to-output/) [Michael Kirby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kirby/) > [“If you walk five blocks north from the wholefoods in Berkeley along Telegraph Avenue and then turn right at Dwight way, you'll soon come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/if-you-walk-five-blocks-north-from-the-wholefoods-in-berkeley-along/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [Tonight, I propose a 21st Century Crime Bill to deploy the latest technologies and tactics to make our communities even safer. Our balanced budget…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/tonight-i-propose-a-21st-century-crime-bill-to-deploy-the-latest/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [Design implies a sense of mapping something out and then you follow the plan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-goldsworthy/design-implies-a-sense-of-mapping-something-out-and-then-you-follow/) [Andy Goldsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-goldsworthy/) > [On mobile, what are the core apps? It's basically messaging, mapping and review data.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-stoppelman/on-mobile-what-are-the-core-apps-it-s-basically-messaging-mapping-and/) [Jeremy Stoppelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-stoppelman/) > [The doctors may be mapping out the war games, but it is the nurses who make the conflict bearable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/the-doctors-may-be-mapping-out-the-war-games-but-it-is-the-nurses-who/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“In order to get to know who is in your System, each individual alter needs to complete a piece of paper in the form…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-t-w/in-order-to-get-to-know-who-is-in-your-system-each-individual-alter/) [A.T.W](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-t-w/) > [Atari always was a technology-driven company, and we were very keen on keeping the technological edge on everything. There's a whole bunch of things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nolan-bushnell/atari-always-was-a-technology-driven-company-and-we-were-very-keen-on/) [Nolan Bushnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nolan-bushnell/) ## More by Ed Catmull > [“So I tell myself that I have time, even when I don’t. As in, ‘Okay, I’m going to proceed as if I have time—I’m…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/so-i-tell-myself-that-i-have-time-even-when-i-don-t-as-in-okay-i-m/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [“How, then, do you make failure into something people can face without fear? Part of the answer is simple: If we as leaders can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/how-then-do-you-make-failure-into-something-people-can-face-without/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [“Andrew Stanton says, adding that on each of his own films, he has made a point of doing this on a smaller scale, separate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/andrew-stanton-says-adding-that-on-each-of-his-own-films-he-has-made/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [“This was a success in itself, but it came with an added and unexpected benefit: The act of thinking about the problem and responding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/this-was-a-success-in-itself-but-it-came-with-an-added-and-unexpected/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [“This principle eludes most people, but it is critical: You are not your idea, and if you identify too closely with your ideas, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/this-principle-eludes-most-people-but-it-is-critical-you-are-not-your/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [“You might say I’m an advocate for humility in leaders. But to be truly humble, those leaders must first understand how many of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/you-might-say-i-m-an-advocate-for-humility-in-leaders-but-to-be-truly/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [“Rejecting failure and avoiding mistakes seem like high-minded”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/rejecting-failure-and-avoiding-mistakes-seem-like-high-minded/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [“The most productive creative sessions allow for the exploration of myriad trains of thought.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/the-most-productive-creative-sessions-allow-for-the-exploration-of/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [“My rule of thumb is that any time we impose limits or procedures, we should ask how they will aid in enabling people to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/my-rule-of-thumb-is-that-any-time-we-impose-limits-or-procedures-we/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [“Toy Story went on to become the top-grossing film of the year and would earn $358 million worldwide. But it wasn’t just the numbers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/toy-story-went-on-to-become-the-top-grossing-film-of-the-year-and/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [“THERE IS NOTHING quite like ignorance combined with a driving need to succeed to force rapid learning.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/there-is-nothing-quite-like-ignorance-combined-with-a-driving-need-to/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [“What makes Pixar special is that we acknowledge we will always have problems, many of them hidden from our view; that we work hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/what-makes-pixar-special-is-that-we-acknowledge-we-will-always-have/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [“Every morning, as I walk into Pixar Animation Studios—past the twenty-foot-high sculpture of Luxo Jr., our friendly desk lamp mascot, through the double doors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/every-morning-as-i-walk-into-pixar-animation-studios-past-the-twenty/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [“What makes Pixar special is that we acknowledge we will always have problems, many of them hidden from our view; that we work hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/what-makes-pixar-special-is-that-we-acknowledge-we-will-always-have-2/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [“I believe that managers must loosen the controls, not tighten them. They must accept risk; they must trust the people they work with and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/i-believe-that-managers-must-loosen-the-controls-not-tighten-them/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) [Explore all 226 Ed Catmull quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) ## More Approach quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [I'm in a business where there's complete anarchy. You can't control it - you can only react to it. The control that people traditionally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-sorrell/i-m-in-a-business-where-there-s-complete-anarchy-you-can-t-control-it/) [Martin Sorrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-sorrell/) > [When you approach something to photograph it, first be still with yourself until the object of your attention affirms your presence. Then don't leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minor-white/when-you-approach-something-to-photograph-it-first-be-still-with/) [Minor White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minor-white/) > [We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-do-not-want-to-be-reminded-that-it-is-we-the-indigenous-people-who/) [Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/) > [One of the things I regret about not putting in that book or I think it's there but I didn't really elaborate on it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-warner/one-of-the-things-i-regret-about-not-putting-in-that-book-or-i-think/) [Brad Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-warner/) > [Ideal for the child and society in the best of times, Rudolf Steiner's brilliant process of education is critically needed and profoundly relevant now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-chilton-pearce/ideal-for-the-child-and-society-in-the-best-of-times-rudolf-steiner-s/) [Joseph Chilton Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-chilton-pearce/) > [I don't have any particular method, my approach is very simple. I try to understand the emotional graph of the character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pratik-gandhi/i-don-t-have-any-particular-method-my-approach-is-very-simple-i-try/) [Pratik Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pratik-gandhi/) > [“But young men have not only this frivolous ambition of being thought masters of execution, inciting them on the one hand, but also their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-young-men-have-not-only-this-frivolous-ambition-of-being-thought/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everything, every part that you approach has to be somehow rooted in yourself. You have to somehow root everything so that it's not just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judi-dench/everything-every-part-that-you-approach-has-to-be-somehow-rooted-in/) [Judi Dench](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judi-dench/) > [Literature transforms and intensifies ordinary language, deviates systematically from everyday speech. If you approach me at a bus stop and murmur Thou still unravished…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/literature-transforms-and-intensifies-ordinary-language-deviates/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [The whole secret to mastering the game of golf - and this applies to the beginner as well as the pro - is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-palmer/the-whole-secret-to-mastering-the-game-of-golf-and-this-applies-to/) [Arnold Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-palmer/) > [The essence of Christianity...is an ever-new encounter with... the God who speaks to us, who approaches us and who befriends us!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/the-essence-of-christianity-is-an-ever-new-encounter-with-the-god-who/) [Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/) > [Like a morning dream, life becomes more and more bright the longer we live, and the reason of everything appears more clear. What has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul/like-a-morning-dream-life-becomes-more-and-more-bright-the-longer-we/) [Jean Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul/) > [What begins as a Utopian vision, always - always - ends in bloodshed. 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