Hey, creative. How is it that some people, uh, some creatives especially, are so productive, right? They seem to always have energy. They seem to always be producing and always creating and always evolving and growing. And then some of us, um, go through cycles of high productivity, but then we, we feel drained and we have a hard time getting, getting back up to speed. And maybe sometimes it goes so bad that you get burned out, which is, which is the worst case scenario. I thought a lot about this because all people, of course, when we are producing it is exhausting. It pulls energy out of us and it pulls our ideas out of our mind. But as creators, it’s especially energy intense to create. And I understand that. I experienced that. I’ve thought a lot about this. Um, like, how can I optimize? I don’t even like the word optimize.
Everybody uses it for everything. But how can I, how can I optimize this? So I am more likely to be at my creative best more often? And so here are my thoughts. I’m not a guru, but I want to offer this to you that, that hopefully it will help with you. And so I think of it like this. I think of it as sponges and fountains. Think sponges and fountains. A sponge consumes, right? It, it takes in, it absorbs what is around it. And all of us go through consumption cycles. We read books. We walk in the woods, we watch Netflix, whatever it is. We’re consuming information. We’re consuming through our senses. That’s the consumption cycle. Bottom. Part of the, uh, sort of a, a cycle is the sponge. The fountain is when you’re producing, you’re putting out right? That you, you’re, you’re, you’re giving out into the world.
And that’s the one that’s really, really tiring. One thing I’ve noticed with very productive people, business people, artists, whatever, is they’re really thoughtful with what they consume on that consumption part. On the consumption production cycle, they are very careful what they absorb. So for instance, you’ll notice that these people don’t have a lot of hobbies. Like they don’t, um, have seven hobbies that they do. They don’t, uh, these, these aren’t typically people who spend a lot of time watching, say, sports or going fishing or whatever. They just use their free time differently. So when they are consuming, usually they’re consuming something that helps them then feed their production on the other end. And I’ve started doing this. I, um, and I think it is, I think it has helped me. So for instance, um, when I am watching at night or whatever, I like to fall asleep with the TV on.
I’m watching Netflix, YouTube, whatever. I try to be thoughtful about what I put up on there to watch. And I, I naturally like documentaries anyway. Luckily it’s a docu, we have a documentary company, but I try to choose things that will give me ideas for when we’re doing work. So I’m consuming, I’m a sponge and I’m relaxing and my brain is replenishing, but I’m replenishing it with ideas that can then feed my production cycle. I read lots of books and I, I share business books with you here. I try to be careful. I read a book that I’m like, okay, is there something that I think in this book can help me build my business or be more productive or whatever? So while I’m sitting passively just reading, and I’m also in a way that sponge is pulling in. So when it’s time for me to be a fountain, I have more material to work with.
And you’ll notice very successful people do this. They spend their free time really, really smartly. Now, I’m not saying you should never just go do something goofy or hang, hangout or whatever. No. I’m saying though, that small changes over time lead to very big results. It’s true of investing with money. It’s true of investing with our time. So maybe think about it a little bit. What are you doing with your free time? How long are you scrolling on Facebook mindlessly? How much of that time could you get back if you just spent a little bit of time passively consuming content sponging in things that will then feed your production cycle on the other end? Think about it. I hope it helps. It has helped me. I’d love to hear how it works out for you, cuz I want you to keep creating. I want you to be passionate. The world’s gonna be at a better place with your creative business in it. So take it easy on yourself and be a smart sponge. I love you.