Drag Out Your Old Work and Look at It

Not everyone likes to talk about therapy.

But here's what it does: You drag up old baggage. Look at it. Figure out why you've been carrying it around. Decide if you still need it.

It's uncomfortable. Sometimes painful. But it's how you get unstuck.

As creative people, we need to do the same thing with our work.

I Avoided Looking at My Old Stuff

I had a folder on my computer labeled "Old Projects."

I never opened it. Too embarrassing. Too messy. Full of half-finished novels and failed business ideas.

I kept moving forward, starting new things, convinced that looking back was a waste of time.

Then I got stuck on a current project. Really stuck. Nothing was working.

Out of desperation, I opened that old folder.

And I found something surprising.

Old Concepts Hold Hidden Value

That novel I abandoned three years ago? The plot was garbage, but the main character's voice was better than anything I'd written since.

That business idea that failed? The core concept was weak, but the customer research I did was gold for my current project.

That writing system I tried and ditched? It didn't work then because I was forcing it. But looking at it now, I could see exactly how to adapt it.

My old work wasn't just failure. It was material I could reuse.

The Pattern Shows Up Everywhere

I started doing "tool audits" for my writing process.

Every few months, I pull out all the systems I use—my note-taking method, my outlining process, my editing checklist—and ask: "Does this still work? Or am I just doing it out of habit?"

Half the time, I find I'm using a tool that made sense two years ago but doesn't fit how I work now.

Same with business. I looked at my old marketing attempts last month. Most failed. But buried in there were three email subject lines that got 40% open rates. I'd completely forgotten about them.

Even my morning routine. I went back through my journal and found five different versions I'd tried over the years. Pieces from version 2 actually work better than what I'm doing now.

Old baggage isn't just baggage. It's a library of experiments you've already run.

We're Afraid to Look Back

Here's why we avoid this:

Looking at old work means facing our past failures. Admitting we've changed. Seeing how rough our early attempts were.

It's uncomfortable.

But that discomfort is where the growth is.

You can't improve what you don't examine.

Permission to Revisit

You're allowed to drag out your old concepts and pick through them.

That failed project? It might have one good idea worth saving.

That system you abandoned? It might work now that you've grown.

That tool you swore by three years ago? It might be holding you back today.

Look at it. See what's still useful. Let go of what isn't.

Try This Today

Find one old project or system you haven't looked at in over a year.

Open it. Spend 15 minutes just observing.

Don't judge it. Don't fix it. Just look.

Ask yourself: "What worked here that I've forgotten? What didn't work that I'm still doing?"

You might find something worth keeping.

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What old work have you been avoiding looking at?