Why stepping back made more sense than pushing forward

How different cognitive preferences process clarity, momentum, and creative work

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It’s been a few months since my last email. Part of that was life, but a lot of it was cognitive.

As a conceptual thinker, I don’t arrive at clarity through constant output. I do it by stepping back, giving my ideas space to drift and settle – space for the connections to surface and the bigger picture to come into focus.

In a world that tells you to hustle, and constantly produce – that kind of space can feel wrong. But for some of us, it’s absolutely necessary.

Different minds think in very different sequences.

This is one of the biggest sources of misunderstanding I see over and over again – in teams, relationships, everywhere. Some people can only think after they start talking because their clarity emerges through expression. Others can’t speak until the idea is already internally complete as they need the point before the words.

Neither is better. They’re simply different cognitive mechanisms trying to operate at their best.

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This is from my Nov 21, 2025 newsletter. Sign up here to receive future issues.