Inspiration occurs in the spur of the moment.
One moment, you lay sprawled on your couch. In the next instant, you have the solution to that knotty coding problem you were thinking about all week long. Inspiration is state-dependent. ‘Being in the mood’, lets you perform inspired feats that often surprise you.
Craving occurs in the spur of the moment.
You are sitting down, deep at work on an important project. In the next instant, you feel like getting up and eating a piece of chocolate. Instead of getting back to work, you check your Twitter feed and order earphones on Amazon. Like itches, cravings come out of nowhere and refuse to go away until we scratch them.
The spur moment can lead to creative bursts just as easily as it can distract us from doing the work that matters. Here’s the rule of the thumb. When it manifests as inspiration – the need to create something – it is usually beneficial. When it manifests as craving – the need to consume something – it is often detrimental.
Can you learn to tell them apart and treat them differently?
Inspiration: Peak state decisions
Observations 