There are two modes of life: producing and consuming. As a human being, you only ever tend to exist in one of those modes at any given moment in time. Producing is when you're creating something that you or others will consume at some point in the future. Consuming is when you use something that someone else or something else has produced.
I've found that I'm happiest when I bias toward production, as opposed to consumption. But the consumption mode is found everywhere: Netflix, Facebook, books, podcasts. So much of our lives are consumed…by consuming. This is part of why people crave creative outlets. Creative outlets are a solid way of switching into the production mode of life. Cooking, cleaning, writing, painting. Pretty much anything where you modify the environment around you is a form of production. And producing makes us feel good. Whether we're producing for ourselves, our pets, our spouses and children, or complete strangers. We feel good when we produce. But we don't generally feel as good when we consume.
Think about the last time you got sucked into Facebook or binge-watched Netflix for most of your Saturday afternoon. When you realize that your time is gone and there was nothing to show for it, it tends to create a pretty depressing feeling.
Now think about the last time you did some serious producing. Maybe it was playing an instrument or reorganizing the garage? Possibly sewing a quilt for a loved one or preparing a delicious anniversary feast? There exists a deep feeling of satisfaction after you create something and put a minor dent in the universe.
Because there's a clear imbalance between how producing and consuming makes us feel, I aim to do more producing than consuming in my life. But that's really, really hard. The news, podcasts, social media, and streamed TV all make it difficult to spend more time producing than consuming. If you find a way to close all of that off and spend some deep work time every day producing, I promise you that you'll feel quite a bit more fulfilled in life.
Comments