“Nothing sparks productivity like abandoning something else.”

There’s something strangely powerful about the moment I decide to quit working on one thing. Suddenly every other task in my life looks like a gift from the universe. The project I’ve avoided for weeks? Now it feels exciting. The to-do list I swore was impossible? Now I’m tackling it like it owes me money.

It’s ridiculous, but it happens every time. The second I give up on something, I’m hit with a rush of energy I could’ve used an hour earlier. I’ll clean a closet, answer emails, organize files, and even start new ideas. Anything except the thing I walked away from.

It’s like my brain runs on spite-powered inspiration. Tell it to focus on one thing and it drags its feet. Let it escape? It becomes a machine.

Maybe it’s not actually about giving up. Maybe it’s the relief. The pressure drops, the frustration goes quiet, and suddenly there’s space to move again. When I stop forcing myself to push through something that’s not working, creativity has room to show up on its own.

And honestly, that’s not the worst way to work. Some things need space. Some ideas need time. And sometimes I need to step away long enough to remember I’m not a robot built for nonstop output.

So if walking away from one thing helps me get something else done, maybe that’s not failure. Maybe it’s strategy. Strange strategy, sure, but still a strategy.

Either way, it works. Nothing sparks productivity like abandoning something else. Maybe that’s just how my mind resets itself. And as long as I keep moving forward, I’ll take it.