Are you a panster or a planner?

I had an interesting discussion recently about the different ways we channel our creativity. The question that triggered the conversations was: Are you a panster or a planner? Well, I did learn a new word that day. Being familiar with what a planner is, I needed to look up the meaning of panster. Turns out a pantser is someone who, “flies by the seat of their pants,” meaning they don’t plan out anything or plan very little.

Apart from a great and funny discussion with a great deal of self-analysis, a quote from Mark Twain sprang into my mind: “The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” Regardless of being a person who meticulously plans everything or rather lives in the moment and creates content on the fly, starting to create content is everything. Whether it’s in on your desk in your office typing into your computer or recording your thoughts on your phone in your car.

Twain actually offered some more advice. He continued: “The secret of getting started is breaking your complex, overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and starting on the first one.” Not sure about you, but even if I have heard good advice many times before, for me, hearing wise words from a writer almost always work a little better. Let’s see if it works for you too.