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Today is the day you admit you’re in consumption mode. Today is the day you flip the switch to creation mode. Today is the day you draw a line in the sand and say, “I’m done consuming!”
Reading another inspiring article (the irony is not lost on me here). Scrolling through countless social media feeds. Watching too much Netflix (ugh, yes there is such a thing). These distractions give us small dopamine responses, which is why we get addicted to them.
But you know what will give you an even better dopamine response? Getting out of consumption mode and creating stuff that brings value to you and other people.
We have all been stuck in consumption mode. All of us. And honestly, it’s a mode in life that comes and goes every single day. It’s not something you’re going to turn off forever (unless you move to an island that doesn’t have Internet).
I know I catch myself wondering into consumption mode when I’m trying to:
I avoid doing those types of tasks because they don’t bring me immediate gratification. As human beings we are wired for immediate gratification. Shiny object – wee! New opportunity – ahh! Fun new thing to explore – yes! But you have to learn to turn off the distractions.
I don’t have a fancy one-size-fits-all formula for flipping the switch on consumption mode to “OFF.” What I do have is a ton of experience getting a lot of things done. Like, way more than most people. I’m not saying that to be cocky, I’m saying that because I’m proud that I’ve learned how to flip the creation mode switch to “ON.”
This one thing is so unbelievably helpful when you want to switch from consumption mode to creation mode. Our email inboxes are like the needy girl/husband who won’t EVER leave you alone. Always pestering you with their problems and then randomly surprising and delighting you with something amazing.
While reading this article I bet you got an email. Whether it notified you on your phone, popped up on your desktop, or showed a new notification in Gmail.
Shut your inbox up for a few hours at a time. Close it down. Life will go on and your email will be waiting for you. This comic by Oatmeal is spot-on:
(Ugh, I know telling you to read comics is a big distraction. So… read one or two and then get out!)
I wrote this article from the bar-top in my kitchen. I wasn’t sitting at my desk. I wasn’t sitting on my couch. I happened to notice a ton of natural light on this day and I gravitated toward it. I felt motivated and let that motivation carry me into creation mode.
Whenever I’m writing, I have Spotify on in the background. I almost always write to one of three artists: Pretty Lights, Helios, or the Tron:Legacy Soundtrack. It’s music that isn’t distracting and doesn’t make me want to sing or dance. I love singing and dancing, but not when I’m trying to get in my creation zone (unless my creation zone is interpretive dance…). Maybe you need singing/dancing music for whatever you’re creating? That’s totally fine.
Another note about writing: I close every app and write in Bear Writer. It’s a beautifully simple writing app. I can’t format a single thing or get distracted with tools and widgets. I can only write. I love it.
Whether it’s where you work, what you listen to while you work, the tools that you use to create, find your optimal creation zone. Go to that place when you need to create.
If you thought your email inbox was needy, your phone and all it’s blinking notifications take needy-ness to another level.
I get it. Some people simply cannot turn off notifications for Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc. That’s fine. You’re controlled by your phone. The least you can do is put your phone out of sight and earshot while creating. Don’t worry, all those precious notifications will be there for you when you go back to it.
I’ve removed all the social apps from my phone and turned off all notifications. I don’t feel like I miss out on anything. I control my usage of these platforms, I don’t let them control me!
I shouldn’t have to mention closing the social media website tabs. That’s a given. But I firmly believe if you want to be in creation mode you can’t have a bunch of consumption opportunities staring you in the face. Try just minimizing your web browser. Try it. Hide the tabs from your eyeballs.
If you’re a hotshot, close your browser and all its tabs! Holy crap, that’s scary right? Don’t worry, those are just things on the Internet that will be available for you to find again.
I cannot stress enough the power and importance of breaks from social media. Back in 2014 I did my first 30-day social media detox and wrote a daily journal about it (the journal was written offline and then published when the detox was finished). I’d highly recommend reading about taking your own break from social media.
Nowadays I take two months off of social media each year (July and December). I come back fully recharged and ready to dive into creation mode. Not to mention all the extra creation time I gain during those months not using social media to create stuff!
Do those things. It’s five things. If you can’t try all five, then there’s no hope for you. I’m not saying that to be dramatic—well, yes I am. If you can’t get out of your own way, you’ll never get out of consumption mode.
So many opportunities will show up for you in life if you’re creating stuff. Almost zero opportunities show up if you’re just consuming everyone else’s stuff.
James Clear put it perfectly:
“Our lives were meant to be spent making our contribution to the world, not merely consuming the world that others create.”
You just finished consuming an article. I’m acutely aware of the irony. But now that you’ve read this, stop consuming any other content for a while. Find your creation zone. Go to it. Stay there for a while. Create something. Even if it sucks and it never sees the light of day.
Keep creating and allowing more time for creation than consumption.
When it comes to thinking creatively for business and brainstorming ideas, most people believe you have to be wired a certain way or use a certain side of your brain. I disagree.
I believe the more naturally creative you are, the harder time you have focusing on the business side of things (marketing, promotion, sales, etc).
But fear not. Regardless of your level of inherent creativity I’ve developed an exercise that, without fail, produces creative thoughts. This same exercise helped me create IWearYourShirt.com, a business that from 2009-2013 generated over $1,000,000 in revenue. It also helped me create BuyMyLastName and SponsorMyBook, two businesses that both brought in six-figure income.
This exercise doesn’t limit itself to simply creating a new business idea, it’s also incredibly useful for coming up with content ideas, strategies, marketing plans, a client pitch, ways to attract mainstream media, and more.
I call it No Bad Ideas Brainstorming. You’ve probably tried doing brainstorming before. Whether you work for yourself or a company, perhaps you’ve yet to attack a brainstorming session under the simple premise that “no idea is a bad idea.”
You’ll need at least one other person with you, and preferably in the same place. Skype/GoToMeeting can work, but it’s not optimal.
Like a child’s board game, this exercise is most effective with two to eight players. I’d also recommend having people from different backgrounds (or positions in your company) participate. You want different styles of thinking working together.
Ringing phones, pop-up notifications, SnapChat alerts, music, etc, are all a distraction and will impede the creative process. This is why I think it’s absolutely optimal to do this exercise in person. It’s also good to be a in a quiet place. That’s why libraries still exist, after all.
This is very important: do not take notes electronically. Use a whiteboard (preferred), large notepad, or a bunch of pieces of paper.
The note-taker should participate, but should also write down 100 percent of the ideas submitted by the group (remember: there are no bad ideas).
Are you looking to create a new business? Are you looking to come up with marketing ideas for your existing product or service? Are you trying to create a content calendar and need ideas for social media updates and blog posts? Maybe your company needs a new name?
Whatever it is, each brainstorming session should only have one focus.
I like 90 minutes for my brainstorming sessions. The first 45 minutes are spent just throwing tons of ideas out there and the second 45 minutes are spent honing those ideas.
No idea is criticized or given negative feedback. The importance of not giving negative feedback or criticizing any idea is that it keeps creative momentum going. You’ll find yourself hearing a bad idea, but instead of commenting on how it was bad, it sparks a much better idea.
It may sound weird, but I like to get up and move around before the brainstorming session starts. It much easier to come from a mental state of movement and energetic feelings than it is from sitting staring at a bright screen.
Do 10 jumping jacks. Do a couple pushups. Go for a short walk outside right before you start (without technology).
The No Bad Ideas Brainstorming exercise works extremely well, but you must make sure to ignore your urge to offer criticism and negative feedback. Our brain is incredibly powerful at building momentum, especially as it relates to creative thought. But as soon as we let negativity creep in those thought processes come to a screeching halt.
The first time you do this exercise it might not end with wild success (much like the first time you tried to ride a bicycle). The key is to keep trying the exercise. The better you get at keeping negative thoughts at bay, the more efficient you’ll be at coming up with creative ideas.
