The Power of Creative Incubation (Productive Flourishing Pulse #504 + June Tips)
Why June's rhythm is your strategic advantage
I had planned to lead off today with one of my favorite lines from Start Finishing but I didn't expect to have a crockpot creativity moment right before sitting down to write this post. (Thanks universe!)
You want to avoid the pressure-cooker pattern where everything is due all at once followed by a period of recovering from being exhausted, only to have everything due all at once all over again. Crockpot creativity leads to better work and a better life than pressure-cooker creativity. —Start Finishing, Chapter 4
I was out for a walk in the park, giving myself dedicated time off mid-day, still navigating the game of time-zone hopscotch I've been playing since moving to Europe last month. I’d planned to wander and maybe read a book. But as I walked, thoughts about a post I’d been mulling over for weeks suddenly connected. A snippet here linked with an idea there. I found myself sitting on the first bench I came across, quickly adding to a note I’d started weeks ago as new connections emerged.
The crockpot metaphor is pretty self-explanatory (slow, steady cooking versus intense pressure), but what’s happening here is what Charlie calls creative accretion: where ideas build on each other when you give them space to play and connect. It happens when things slow down, when inspiration and insights finally have room to bubble to the surface.
Last month, we talked about preparing for summer’s different rhythm. Now that we’re in it, the question becomes: how do you manage through the slowdown and leverage what might come of it?
When we discussed this shift during our recent Monthly Momentum Call, the conversation revealed just how challenging this transition can be:
An entrepreneur struggled with taking things slower — it was wanted and needed but they still felt like they should be doing more.
A leader who’d spent years building team readiness and processes, now wary of the slower conditions those very systems had created.
Someone needed permission to rest and catch up on smaller projects after navigating significant ones in the first half.
As Steve shared in last week’s Pulse, we get to choose what we optimize for, and it doesn’t always have to be output. We’re so socialized to optimize for efficiency that we forget: stepping away from the constant beeps, buzzes, and urgent requests is exactly what allows breakthrough insights to emerge.
June’s natural rhythm isn’t a disruption to manage — it’s a strategic advantage waiting to be leveraged.
June Tips: Creating Conditions for Breakthrough
Whether you’re working solo or leading a team, the principle is the same: transformation happens in the spaces between the doing.
Think about it: you (and your team) have been accumulating six months of experience, data, and insights. The constant pressure to execute, respond, and deliver has kept everyone focused on the immediate. But just like ideas need space to connect and accrete, learnings need breathing room to surface and link together.
The individuals and teams that leverage June’s different pace (rather than fighting against it) often discover:
Patterns in first-half challenges that reveal new solutions
Connections between projects that seemed unrelated
The ability to step back far enough to see the forest, not just the trees they've been staring at for months
Learnings that can fuel a stronger second half
This isn’t about slowing down for its own sake (though you or your team may need that, too). It’s about recognizing that when you allow yourself or your team to step away from urgency, and protect your ability to do so, you’re creating conditions for creative accretion that can transform six months of doing into wisdom for moving forward.
Some tips to do that:
Consider keeping an open document to capture insights about the first half of the year as they bubble up.
Use some of our review tools (Mid-Month Review, AAR) to assess where you are, where you came from, and what you learned along the way.
Protect time for processing what's been learned, not just what needs to be delivered. Set aside a “crockpot” block (focus block) for this kind of slower thinking / planning / processing, and encourage your team to do the same.
Determine what habits and routines need to change based on your learnings.
Use June’s natural rhythm as your strategic advantage, and let your second half be fueled by the wisdom of your first.
~Maghan
Take a Moment
A prompt to pause and reflect.
Looking at the first half of this year, what patterns or connections are starting to emerge that you haven’t had time to fully process? What might bubble up if you stepped away from the urgency for a moment?
We’d love to hear what’s coming up for you.
In Case You Missed It
Join Us in June
Mark your calendars for our June events, open to our paid subscribers:
Leadership Strategy Session (LSS): Wednesday, June 4, 2025, at 11:00 am PDT
Creating Space for Team Learning and Insight
What if June’s “disruptions” (changes to schedules, capacity, and focus) could be your team’s strategic advantage? How can you use this time to let insights from the first half-year naturally surface and connect, becoming fuel for an even better second half?Monthly Momentum Call (MMC): Wednesday, June 18, 2025, at 11:00 am PDT
The Power of Creative Incubation
June’s natural slowdown creates perfect conditions to step away from constant distractions and let breakthrough insights emerge. How can you use this seasonal rhythm to protect your natural incubation periods? What’s the difference between productive stepping back and avoiding the work?
June Momentum Planners
The Momentum Planners were built to keep your most important work front and center. Download the free version of our June planners to help you determine what actions and ideas are serving you, and which need a retool.
Paid subscribers can access the full suite of dated planners below. 👇 If you don’t see them, please make sure you’re logged in to your paid account.
If you don’t have a paid subscription yet, now’s a great time to upgrade.