Sam-I-am's Jam
Finding freedom and purpose in constraints
🌸 ikigai 生き甲斐 is a reason for being, your purpose in life - from the Japanese iki 生き meaning life and gai 甲斐 meaning worth 🌸
A blank page can be really scary.
You know that you can write anything at all, the possibilities are endless.
Endlessly paralysing some days.
Yet another reason to beat yourself up because surely more choice = more freedom, right?
I find that having too many choices can make me less creative, less productive, and dare I say it, less content?
The average adult makes about 35,000 decisions every day. No wonder we're knackered by teatime *grin*
Too much! Too many! Too everything here!
My brain's getting muddled, my thinking's not clear!
"Stop!" said a thought, quite bold and quite plain,
"Can constraints help get us focused again?"
For ikigai hides in the strangest of places,
behind careful limits and small, simple spaces!
Do you remember the fabulous Green Eggs and Ham? I recently learned that Dr. Seuss wrote it using only 50 different words, because his publisher bet him he couldn't do it. Challenge accepted or what?!
He ended up writing one of the most beloved stories of all time. A masterpiece of creativity born from the most stringent of constraints.
I learned a lesson from Sam-I-am, a being of pure persistence and joy. I wish for us all to also find our groove, our 'jam' if you will, through creating and embracing constraints.
The power of constraints at work
I’m a little obsessed with companies that do 4 day workweek experiments. Lots of people questioned whether it was possible to condense a full time role in this way. Heaps of companies in the UK did. In fact, people often got more done and to a higher quality. Workers were happier, more focused, more energised. Less time can mean better work.
It’s a little like when you're expecting guests in an hour, and suddenly your cleaning skills go supersonic. Nothing motivates like a hard deadline, hey?
I used to drown in Monday morning to-do list overwhelm until I started a new journalling experiment. I’d brain dump everything, then pick just three tasks to do. That’s it, three.
"But I have fifteen urgent things!" my brain protested.
Tough. Pick three.
And magic happened. I finished those three tasks and still had energy left over. Energy for the things that really matter, the ikigai kinda stuff.
Struthless and the Alphabet Superset
I follow a brilliantly relatable dude called Struthless. He made a short video about the fear of posting your stuff online, after realising that many of his followers were also struggling;
His solution? The Alphabet Superset challenge. Sadly the original website has gone a year later, but thanks to the magic of the Wayback Machine you can still see it.
26 letters is kind of magic, at one a week it’s 6 months or do it every other week and you have a year long quest. Phase 1 is to set your scope, phase 2 you execute.
“Set Your Scope; Before we begin making stuff, we’re going to prepare a simple foundation. By defining our creative constraints up front, we eliminate 6 months of tiny decisions. This scope answers questions like what we make, how we make it, and why we’re making it.”
No agonising over what to make. No endless scrolling for inspiration. Just: "Right, today's letter is B. Let's draw a badger."
His creativity unlocked releasing heaps of video documentaries in that series. By limiting his choices he removed a blocker, and it worked for SO many other creatives out there too.
Digital overload
I usually have fifteen open browser tabs on my MacBook, and a different set of even more on my work PC. That’s without counting the growing numbers of red dot notifications on my iPhone.
All these amazing tools meant to make our lives easier, how often does it feel like they're doing our heads in instead?
We can work from anywhere! Translation: We never stop working
We can learn anything! Translation: We’re too overwhelmed to choose
We can connect with everyone! Translation: We're too addicted to consuming to create
It's like being hungry after you’ve just done a big shop, so many choices you just end up scoffing an entire multipack of crisps, because decision fatigue has fried your brain.
But here's where constraints come to the rescue again, what if you;
- Checked email twice a day instead of continually?
- Setup a proper workspace with just the few tabs you need for your next task?
- Audited your phone to turn off notifications on most apps?
The freedom paradox
Constraints aren’t about limitation at all. They're about liberation.
Like Sam-I-am finding that one specific thing that sparked joy, and persisting until others saw its value too.
Every time we set a thoughtful boundary, we're not boxing ourselves in, we're clearing space for something brilliant to emerge;
Dr. Seuss's 50-word limit gave us a timeless classic
Struthless's alphabet rule sparked a creative flood
A shorter work week gave better results
My three task limit actually getting more done
It's proper counter-intuitive, this one.
The magic isn't in having endless choices. It's in honing in on what matters and letting go of the rest.
And isn't that what brought me to ikigai in the first place? Finding that sweet spot where what you love, what you're good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for all start to come together?
Well, maybe constraints are the frame that helps us see that picture more clearly.
Your turn to play
So here's my challenge to you, lovely humans. Pick one area of your life that feels overwhelming. Just one. Set one small, clear constraint. Something tiny but specific.
Then watch what happens.
Maybe, like Sam-I-am, you'll find your own particular jam. Your groove. Your ikigai.
And maybe you'll realise that what feels like a tiny space right now is actually your perfect starting point.
Because sometimes, the best way to grow isn't to spread yourself thin, but to put down deeper roots. The rhythm you thought was restricting you was actually helping you dance, finding your flow by starting with simpler steps.
Give it a go. I'd love to hear how you get on.
Sarah, seeking ikigai xxx
PS - I think it helps to not have unlimited options, to find your ikigai through constraints. So let's make this practical, here are some ideas for your ikigai bullet journal this week:
Spot your overwhelm - Where are you drowning in choices? Maybe it's your mad to-do list, your bursting wardrobe, or your chaotic digital life. Pick an area that's doing your head in. Journal Prompt: “Which area of my life feels most chaotic or overwhelming right now? What specific choices or decisions are causing me stress or indecision?”
Set one simple limit - Start small. Dead small. Like 3 priority tasks per day, 10 key pieces of clothing, 2 social media checks daily. Journal Prompt: “What is one small, manageable constraint I can apply to this area of overwhelm? How might setting this limit bring clarity or reduce stress?”
Watch what happens - Give it a fortnight. Notice what changes. Are you calmer? More focused? Getting more done? Keep a little note of what's working. Journal Prompt: “Over the past week, what changes have I noticed after applying my constraint? How has this limit affected my mood, focus, or productivity?”
Tweak as you go - This isn't about making yourself miserable, if a constraint feels wrong, change it. The goal is freedom through focus, not restriction for restriction's sake. Journal Prompt: “Does my current constraint still feel right? What adjustments, if any, would help me feel more aligned with my goals while maintaining a sense of freedom?”
…my sax teacher taught me to play by limiting me to one note per day…i’m not great by any means but that made me like 50x better once I completed the whole horn…