The Problem with Completion

I've always been a big fan of closure.

A psychologically astute person once observed that I am always trying to make a whole out of any conversation - emphasizing whatever side is not getting equal consideration. One of my core strengths is the ability to assemble ideas into a cohesive concept, framework, solution, or ecosystem. 

However, I'm coming to terms with the fact that the need for completeness can be an impediment to progress as well. Witness this blog: I have a ton of draft ideas, but I have posted far less than I intended. It has been a failure so far because I have set the standard for a publishable piece too high. Instead of exposing my unfinished thoughts, I have nothing to show for my thinking. 

Incompleteness can be a valuable tool in strategy and design work. I often tell the people I work with that the primary responsibility of a strategist is to make sure that all the right questions get asked. And unfinished ideas invite collaboration and progress, while anything deemed "complete" runs the risk of stagnation.

So here's to valuing incompleteness. I will try to adopt a more informal journaling approach here going forward. Maybe you can help build toward a sense of completion in the comments.