One thing I really miss from my time at the HfK is giving myself permission to go down rabbit holes as deeply as I wanted. I learned a ton about microcomputers, maps, 3D printing, VR, and I read books about media theory. I still benefit from that time today.
I consider the ability to dive as deeply as you want into a topic, work on it undisturbed, and carry your key findings forward as a privilege. During university, I worked as a freelancer and earned enough money that I didn’t need to work during the semester. At one point, my family had to step in because a client suddenly couldn’t pay me. Not everyone has that amount of luck or a safety net. Maybe I am part of the Comfort Class.
Cal Newport takes the idea of the rabbit hole and calls it “Engineered Wonder,” explaining it through the example of Walt Disney, who bought a house to pursue his hobby of building a scale railroad project, which later sparked the idea for a theme park.
Engineered wonder is when you take something that sparks a genuine flare of interest, and you pursue it to a degree that’s remarkable (or, depending on who you ask, perhaps even absurd). Such projects are not done for money, or advancement, or respect, but instead just because they fascinate you, and you want to amplify that feeling as expansively as possible.
Cal Newport – On Engineered Wonder
Nowadays, I can’t simply follow every impulse and disappear into a rabbit hole for weeks. I have responsibilities. But that doesn’t mean I can’t timebox my interests.
While writing this blog post, a timer is constantly counting down to zero. When the timer runs out, I stop writing and thinking about the topic and shift my focus to other things. To be honest, it’s liberating to know that I can let go and trust that the timer will bring me back.
I even use this approach for emptying the dishwasher. It only takes five minutes at most.
Some may find it sad that I’m limiting myself, but this is one of the things I learned in my twenties. I can go into deep focus and come up with almost anything, but I need guidance and structure. That’s the gift of the rabbit hole.
