Creative resistance disguises distraction as legitimate work

The urge to fix technical problems, read tutorials, or tidy the studio intensifies precisely when it is time to create — a phenomenon Steven Pressfield calls Resistance. These tasks feel music-adjacent but produce no music. Recognising that non-creative problems appear urgent only when you sit down to work lets you dismiss them: use a different plug-in, different sample, work through the discomfort. Creative time is categorically different from preparation time, and conflating the two is the most reliable way to prevent finishing anything.

Examples

You sit down to write and suddenly remember a plug-in needs authorising, or your chair is uncomfortable. Notice this, ignore it, and make music with whatever you have. Fix the plug-in on your next break.

Assessment

Describe a recent session where a technical or organisational task displaced creative work. Identify it as Resistance. Write one rule you would apply next time to stay in creative mode.