In 1962, a new band which was by no means a proven hit maker, was allotted one day of EMI’s studio time to complete 10 songs for their first British album. Schedules and budgets allowed the newcomers no more time than that—one day—to finish the job.

In little more than 10 hours, the group recorded an album that would spend more than half a year at the top of the English music charts—and launch what many call the most extraordinary show-business career in history. That group was the Beatles.

Now that’s squeezing the most out of the resources you have! Let’s mine this story for the gold it offers us as writers and creatives. Though it seems as if it should inhibit creativity, constraints can often ignite it. Working with limited resources and making do with what’s available sometimes proves to fuel ingenuity.

How often have you found this to be true in your own writing?

Deadlines, for example, can prove to be friends instead of foes. They often force us to mobilize all our energy and focus. They demand that we give our full attention and bring everything we have to bear in the way of ingenuity to getting a job done.

So often, we feel that we don’t have enough time to finish a draft or send out a story. But as my friend and mentor Dr. Rob Gilbert says,* It’s not how much time you put in…it’s what you put in the time.”

Or we may fret about feeling tired or mentally tapped out. But if we push past those feelings, we often find a second wind and new, even energizing, ideas waiting for us once we get beyond our initial inertia.

Let’s remember that boundaries can encourage breakthroughs. Having limited resources can force us to be more focused, more committed, and more creative. Write on!

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*For more creativity and motivational tips, check out the podcast, Success Hotline with Dr. Rob Gilbert.”