From Consuming to Creating: A Morning Reset for Real Progress
Each time a new book crosses my path—whether recommended in a podcast, required for school, or casually mentioned in something I’m already reading—I feel an irresistible urge to add it to my collection. The thrill of welcoming fresh input brings a quick rush, a satisfying illusion of productivity. But soon enough, my latest acquisition joins the ever-growing stack of “to reads,” and begins to gather dust and judgment.
It’s an indulgent cycle: Seize the chance to learn something new—now.
Actually dive in and use it…maybe never.
I invite you to pause here and look at your own stack of unread books or bookmarked online courses. How many was a MUST-BUY in the moment? How many are still waiting for “someday”?
This habit mirrors our endless scrolls through tutorials, life hacks, and news updates. Each one offers the lure of usefulness. But what have we actually done with all this knowledge we’ve passively gathered?
Too often, consumption replaces creation, leaving us filled with ideas we never act upon.
Enter the “No Excuse Hour”, a concept I discovered on the swissmiss blog (a favorite place of mine to consume before I create). It’s deceptively simple: dedicate the first hour of your day solely to creating. No emails, no scrolling, no distractions. Just pure focus on a priority—something that moves the needle forward in your life, work, or passion.
When we create before the world has a chance to interrupt, we begin the day on our own terms.
Marie Forleo’s mantra of “Create before you consume” aligns perfectly with this practice. Starting the day in a generative mode helps us reclaim control over what fills our minds and fuels our energy. Instead of letting social media dictate our focus, we decide what matters. We build mental resilience before consuming a flood of outside opinions and shape our own definitions of success before scrolling through someone else’s highlight reel.
Imagine dedicating this time to chipping away at a long-delayed project, drafting a chapter, or simply outlining the priorities that truly matter to you. In doing so, we shift from passive to proactive, from consumer to creator. The “No Excuse Hour” reminds us that our day can be shaped by what we make of it—not just what we scroll through or stockpile.
So this week, I challenge myself (and maybe you) to start each day in No Excuse mode. Take that time to make a small dent in your goals, whatever they may be, and resist the urge to consume, distract, and pacify yourself into a false sense of accomplishment
The stack of unread books and mountain of untapped ideas aren’t going anywhere. But after an hour spent creating, we get to approach them with fresh clarity,less urgency, and the satisfaction of making progress on our own chapter before diving into someone else’s.