There’s a point where productivity stops being productive.
Not because you’re not working hard enough — but because you’re working in only one direction.
It’s easy to fall into that pattern, especially when you’re building something that matters. You focus more. You cut distractions. You spend longer hours inside the work. At first, it feels like progress. The output increases, the thinking sharpens, and the sense of control grows stronger.
But over time, something shifts.
The work starts to feel narrower. Decisions become more repetitive. You’re still producing, but the material begins to lose elasticity. The same patterns repeat, the same solutions appear, and what once felt precise starts to feel forced.
That’s usually not a problem of discipline.
It’s a problem of imbalance.
Writing — or any kind of creative work — doesn’t develop in isolation. It feeds on contrast. On different rhythms. On exposure to things that are not part of the system you’re building.
Work gives you structure.
But life gives you perspective.
Without that balance, you don’t notice the moment when your thinking begins to loop. You keep refining inside the same framework, but nothing fundamentally evolves.
And paradoxically, stepping away is often what allows the work to move forward again.
Time with family, conversations that have nothing to do with what you’re building, even completely unrelated work — all of that introduces friction into your thinking. It breaks repetition. It resets perception.
And when you return, you don’t just continue.
You see differently.
Better decisions follow from that — not because you tried harder, but because your perspective widened.
So balance isn’t a luxury.
It’s part of the process.
Not to escape the work —
but to keep it alive.
Then why use them at all Monette? I choose to only speak the things I want. It is important to point out to the lurkers, that is not a failure if you don't book. That is what Aaron's video is about. H...
Expand commentThen why use them at all Monette? I choose to only speak the things I want. It is important to point out to the lurkers, that is not a failure if you don't book. That is what Aaron's video is about. Having directed a play before, I can confirm that it is not always the best actors who get the parts. Aesthetics have a lot to do with it. Budget. Production company. The director sometimes. I recommend listening to casting director podcasts if you really want to know the ins and outs of what goes in to casting. The important takeaway is DON"T TAKE IT PERSONALLY.
Aaron, yes nI'm skilled in several creative fields, but I have 25 years of experience and I'm passionate about what I do. I really want to found a way to tell the stories I wanted. so why not learn to write, direct, and act in them? For a French person, I work a lot, lol!
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I really love the way you think and run your life. It really takes a brave person to look into things they are not familiar with, get skilled and make things happen. You are amazing.
So it's not okay to feel the pain when you lose out where you think you nailed it? I'm an emotive and passionate person. But as I said, and will say, over and over, that doesn't mean you quit. Why wou...
Expand commentSo it's not okay to feel the pain when you lose out where you think you nailed it? I'm an emotive and passionate person. But as I said, and will say, over and over, that doesn't mean you quit. Why would you suggest I quit, Suzanne? I'm familiar with directing, too, and love the process of casting. When I cast my first play, The Odd Couple, I had guys upset because I pre-cast the two leads. I only did the play becuase I knew they'd be perfect. Some things just are that way.
Thank you for your encouragement and video tips. "The small acting jobs", in particular, will be very useful when I will arrive in Los Angeles, and best of luck with your projects.