We can’t manage seedling phases. We lay down the information and wait for ideas to sprout. (*2)
We can’t measure the progress of the phase by volume. No matter how good the results are, spending more time can lead to better results. So we need to split the phase by time. I explained there are two ways to split tasks: by volume and by time in (2.3.2) Timeboxing.
If you have no deadline for coming up with ideas, you have to set a deadline by yourself. Otherwise, you will spend time looking for better ideas. It is (2.2.3.1) Exploration-exploitation tradeoff.
Even if you are given the deadline, such as the deadline for report submission, you need to set a sub-deadline. You need time to brush up your ideas before the given deadline. So you stop the seedling phase at the sub-deadline and proceed to the growing phase.
Footnote: (*2) In (3.5) Spaced repetition method that lasts knowledge, we learned that spacing improves memory consolidation. In the Whole Mind System, we put spare time between reading tasks. It is called (4.3.1.5) ❺ Mature step. Those concepts is related to the phase.