Is There a Time Limit on Creativity?

How long can you sit and concentrate on a creative task -- and how productive do you feel when you're doing it? In her new book, Rapt: Attention and the Focused Life, Winifred Gallagher, the notet psychologist, discussed how creative people focus differently than non-creatives. One of the most illuminating concepts? Gallagher says that the ideal period to work on a complex task is 90 minutes. This should be very good news for anyone trying to squeeze their art into an already busy day. You don't need a cabin in the woods. You don't need 8 hours. 90 minutes at a time will get you where you need to go.