The Literary Assistant

The Literary Assistant

The Input Problem

February, Day 1

Melissa Makarewicz's avatar
Melissa Makarewicz
Feb 17, 2026
∙ Paid

Hello friend,

For February’s mini challenge we are going to tackle one of the most common patterns I see with burnt-out creatives I see… and it’s that they’re creating constantly, but they’re also consuming constantly and there’s no space in between.

I’ve seen it all. You start because you want to are excited to connect, but then somewhere along the way it spiraled out of control.

Scrolling feels productive.
Staying “in the loop” feels like a necessary evil you can’t escape.
But over time, all that intake leaves very little room for you to have proper look at what you are doing.

Creativity needs pauses.
It needs time for proper digestion.
Without them, everything starts to feel loud and overwhelming… even the work you once loved.

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