Take-off

If we break a flight into three main phases—take-off, cruising, and landing—the moments when an aircraft moves slowest yet consumes the most energy are take-off and landing. But once it climbs to cruising altitude, it glides smoothly, efficiently, and effortlessly in flow.

It’s the same when starting any creative project. Whenever I begin a new design, the early phase is slow and heavy. I need deep focus to understand the problem, plan my approach, and check the resources I’ll need.

But once I take off the project, I enter flow. Everything starts to move faster, and most parts of the design process run almost on autopilot. Of course, occasional turbulence happens—unplanned backlogs, revisions, unexpected feedback—but as long as I take off properly, the rest of the journey usually moves forward smoothly.

Landing a project brings its own kind of turbulence too: communication, final polish, and handoff. But a safe landing is part of the craft.

What’s interesting is that life works the same way. Whether it’s building a habit, saving money, running regularly, or nurturing relationships—it takes far more energy to get started than to keep going.