Output Before You Input

I have so many f*%king ideas for this platform because I am consuming so much other material that I have found myself spiraling into a common creative roadblock for many people with a lot of ideas, which is not acting on any single one of them.

“But you have ideas… that should be worth something!!”

— A younger, more naive Eli might have said.

While still young, and hopelessly wet behind the ears in an array of life experiences, I wish I could put my hand on Eli’s back, look out over the horizon, and quietly agree, but I would be doing myself a grave disservice.

This morning, I regretfully awoke from my slumber to the tantalizing call of my phone, slouched over the edge of my bed, gleaning through meaningless crap made to seduce me into submission.

I think we can all agree that this is no way to start the day, yet we do it anyways.

Hence, the topic of today’s issue.

*Sidebar*: This morning I thought I was just going to give you all a notice of what the next weeks of MAXIMA will look like… I didn’t want to flood you with too many newsletters, but this idea came up, so I am flowing with it. There is no delaying - D.M. *Resume*

Let’s break it down, shall we?

“…first thing in the morning, before you look at your e-mail or Instagram or the newspaper or make a phone call or whatever: Write. Dance. Sing. Touch clay. Draw.”

— Tom Sachs, Artist, Cult Leader

While I have a deep distaste for Tom Sachs, he brings up some good points here and there.

The idea here is that your habits are the ultimate influence on how you proceed with your day. Stephen Duneier, easily my favorite TEDx speaker, talks about making marginal adjustments as opposed to just going pedal to the metal, balls to the wall in a new venture in life. After some time, we usually see ourselves reverting back to what we know.

“You have to break this big ambitious goal down into these more manageable decisions. The types of decisions that need to be made correctly along the way in order to improve the odds of achieving the type of outcome you desire.”

—How to Achieve Your Most Ambitious Goals | Stephen Duneier | TEDxTucson

Going cold turkey hardly ever works. If you are like me and want to try to use your phone less, specifically in the morning, try leaving your phone in the other room while you make breakfast. Buy one of those neat little moleskin notebooks and jot down some thoughts while you wait for your morning coffee to brew. Throw on some Dean Martin and sing out Volare and dance like you aren’t about to go to work in an hour. The marginal adjustment of something as basic as leaving your phone in the other room gives you the freedom of possibility for literally anything else. It may seem too small to matter, but it truly isn’t. Habits must be changed slowly. You must personally be made aware of its viability before anything can improve.

Put a pen and paper by your bedside and write or doodle something before turning to something else. Take 5 deep breaths and maybe stretch out a little. These are not huge adjustments, but I promise they reap a great reward physically, mentally, and creatively.

What marginal adjustment might you make this week to improve your output?

As always, I’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment or respond directly to this email and let me know:)

Your pal,

Eli

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