Unproductive questions
February in Austin is really confusing. It's a time of catastrophic winter storms and heat waves. I've been both sweaty and cold all month.
Outside of managing my body temperature, I've been teaching some fun workshops this month. Last week, I gave a talk with Future Front Texas's WORK conference on Making Art and Making Money. It was a treat, and boy it made me realize how this whole making money/art thing is a messssssy business.
One thing that helps me when I get stuck in a particularly messy problem, is understanding the difference between a productive question and an unproductive question.
A productive question is something that helps you make your next move. It helps you clarify something. It helps you feel empowered. It helps you take action.
An example of a productive question might be: what can I do today to get this project started? [or] What would it feel like to say "No" to that project? The answers provide clarity and direction.
An unproductive question is one that is intentionally unanswerable. It makes you spin your wheels. It makes you feel lost or overwhelmed.
Here's what that can look like: let's say you're asking a big question like: Should I change jobs? Should I move? Should I have a baby? Should I break-up with my partner? And you're trying to come up with an answer FAST. In trying to problem-solve, you sort through the same information or evidence over and over again and you don't get closer to an answer. But you keep trying. Your thoughts repeat themselves. You get stuck in a thought pattern. And then you just feel stuck altogether.
If that's the case, then the question you're asking is not helping you right now, it's (currently) an unproductive question. This doesn't mean it's not an important question ... it's just a question that's not empowering you to take action. The question may need to be re-framed or put on hold altogether. You might need more information or just some time to let things clarify. Things tend to reveal themselves as they need to.
So if you're stuck in a reallllly messy problem, look at the question that's at the heart of that problem. Is the question productive? If not, can you re-frame it or put that question on hold and come back to it later?
