Keep Going: 8 key ideas
The core ideas of Keep Going, each in under a minute, written in our own words. Want the full depth? Get the book.
- IDEA 1 OF 8
Treat each day as fresh
Kleon suggests living as if every day is Groundhog Day: forget past successes and failures and focus on doing today's work.
A daily routine and a simple list help carry you through uncertain stretches, one day at a time.
- IDEA 2 OF 8
Build a bliss station
A bliss station is a time and place where you are cut off from the world and can focus on your work.
Kleon recommends protecting such a space every day, especially from the news and phone notifications.
- IDEA 3 OF 8
Forget the noun, do the verb
Kleon advises forgetting job titles and chasing the activity itself.
Wanting to be called a writer is less helpful than wanting to write. Paying attention to the doing keeps work playful and less tied to status.
- IDEA 4 OF 8
Make gifts, not just products
When work is always about money or followers, it can lose its joy.
Kleon suggests sometimes making things as gifts for people you love, keeping some creative work private and free from metrics.
- IDEA 5 OF 8
Ordinary things deserve extra attention
Kleon believes the ordinary becomes extraordinary when you look closely enough.
Slowing down, drawing what you see and noticing small daily details give you endless creative material, without needing travel, drama or exotic experiences to feel inspired.
- IDEA 6 OF 8
Separate the art from the artist
Kleon discusses admiring creators who behaved badly, which he calls art monsters.
He suggests you can learn from great work while refusing to copy cruel behaviour, and that being a good person and good artist can go together.
- IDEA 7 OF 8
Tidy up when you feel stuck
Cleaning or organising your workspace can be a useful break that lets the mind wander.
Kleon suggests tidying, along with taking walks outside, as gentle ways to get unstuck when ideas will not come.
- IDEA 8 OF 8
Seasons of creativity come and go
Kleon compares a creative life to a garden that has seasons.
There will be times of growth and times of rest. Accepting these cycles, and continuing to plant small seeds, is how you keep going over a lifetime.
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