Second Cup: Feed your mind

Be sure to consume whatever you aim to produce

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning.
This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's
tip is to feed your mind. Just like our bodies,
our minds need varied nourishment if we are going to

(00:26):
produce our best work. I have been thinking about how
I feed my mind since I interviewed Mary Laura Philpott
for my other podcast, Best of Both Worlds. Mary Laura
is the author of the memoirs I Miss You When
I Blink and more recently, Bomb Shelter. As I learned

(00:47):
from our interview, Mary Laura is not only a prolific writer,
but also an avid reader. Mary Laura spends her morning's writing,
but by early afternoon, even though it's still the workday,
she says, my brain can't write. Instead of spending the
afternoon writing and rewriting the same sentence or aimlessly deleting emails,

(01:13):
Mary Laura's practice is to read with a pencil in hand.
She reads broadly, not just essays about family life like
she's known for writing, but also biographies, poetry, thrillers, anything.
As she reads, she makes notes about what other writers
are doing well and how their craft sparks ideas about

(01:38):
what she could do in her own writing. Mary Laura explained,
when my brain can't be actively producing, it can at
least be sort of passively absorbing things that make me
better at my job. What a smart practice. Even the
most productive of writers can't write all the time, and

(02:01):
to be able to produce rich, creative, interesting work, writers
need to study the work of others. Plus, reading is fun,
which is a relevant motivation too. Just as Mary Laura
is a writer who reads, other people would be wise
to consume what they aim to produce as well. Listen

(02:24):
to podcasts if you're a podcaster, play video games if
you're a game designer. Go shopping if you're a buyer
for a gift shop. Enjoy others' work just as you
hope that people will enjoy yours, and, like Mary Laura,

(02:44):
reading with a pencil in hand, pay attention to others craft.
What makes the podcast or game compelling or what makes
the shop inviting? Are there elements of others work that
prompt you to explore ideas for your own work In
addition to consuming what you aim to produce, consume broadly too.

(03:08):
Ideas not directly related to your craft can still enhance
your work. While I write nonfiction about productivity and time.
I love reading classic literature and The Economist, in addition
to my colleague self improvement books. If you write professionally,
you'll get ideas from all sorts of writing that strengthen

(03:30):
your own writing. But even if you don't write for
a living, reading is a great way to take in
new ideas. Reading broadens our thinking, and you don't need
to stop there. See art, go to the theater, travel,

(03:50):
talk with interesting people, engage your mind and your senses.
When you nourish yourself, you nourish your work. Even when
you are not actively producing. You can still fuel your
professional work by seeking out interesting material. As you absorb it,
you can see where it takes you. How do you

(04:14):
feed your mind? I'd love to hear about it. You
can reach me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com.
In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and
here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody,

(04:40):
I'd love to hear from you. You can send me
your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with
me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod.
That's b E. The number four then Breakfast pod. You
can also shoot me an email at before Breakfast podcast
at iHeartMedia dot com that Before Breakfast is spilled out

(05:03):
with all the letters, thanks so much. Should I look
forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a production
of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app,
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