Give someone every color and they’ll paint something forgettable. Give them three and watch them get clever.

Unlimited options produce averages. With everything available there is no reason to solve anything, so nothing gets invented, and the result is competent and immediately forgettable. Constraint forces substitution, and substitution is where the interesting choices live. The limit does the creative work that freedom was supposed to do.

Where you are stuck, cut your options down on purpose. One tool, one hour, three ingredients, a page limit. Set the restriction before you start rather than negotiating with it as you go. The first ten minutes will feel like a punishment. What comes after is usually better.