Maria Semple Quotes

I prefer physical exhaustion over mental fatigue any day.

My ideal is to write most of the day, then go running, find friends and socialise all evening; my mind recharges with human contact.

Having hibernation weekends where I just sleep for hours on end. Working out when you have those spare moments. All of that is very important.

I don't like to get too caught up in habits because too much structure can stifle creativity. But there are a few habits that make us more productive and are healthy to work into every workweek, if not every day. I love to start the day with a workout - even just a run on the treadmill while catching up on the morning headlines.

Doing something that's physical but not necessarily mentally taxing - for me, it frees me up creatively.

For me, it's about eating a bunch of fruit and exercising, which opens up the creativity, makes it easier to give ideas a chance and bubble to the surface. I'm no angel, but it helps me, as does hiking, heading to the ocean to catch some waves - for me, sweating it out is definitely good for the creative process.

To create well I have to be in a good mood, happy and cool.

Running is how I clear my head and find my center again.

Put off thy cares with thy clothes; so shall thy rest strengthen thy labor, and so thy labor sweeten thy rest.

At noon I get to the gym to do my boxing workout. Three hours there. Rest. Once in a while I get a massage, because I need it once in while.

A calm environment is for after I finish work.

Everyone is always telling me that I must be exhausted, but I've learned how to use my time well, and that includes holidays to recharge. I always try to give myself big chunks of time to think about what the next project is going to be.

People often get very entangled in their work and life, so de-stressing is very important to keep generating fresh ideas and provide satisfaction with one's activities.

I walk a lot. It keeps me in shape and clears my head.

But on average, I go to the gym about four or five times a week. Today, I'm so experienced in training - I'm actually listening to my body now. My body needs freedom. When I train I create serenity and I produce oxygen in my blood. It helps me to think better and relax. By training, you accentuate the problem.

I started walking at night with my sister in law which has been amazing. It really does something for you. It just kind of clears the mind, it just makes you feel better, things start to tighten a little bit.

I take a massage each week. This isn't an indulgence, it's an investment in your full creative expression/productivity/passion and sustained good health.

There's great value to knitting or digging up your garden or chopping up vegetables for soup, because you're taking some time away from turning the pages, answering your emails, talking to people on the phone, and you're letting your brain process whatever is stuck up in there.

Once you become an actor, it's important to take care of yourself. I live in Santa Monica, where I can mountain bike, hike and go running on the beach. I like a nice sunset jog.

Resting for me is fitness training.

Periods of wholesome laziness, after days of energetic effort, will wonderfully tone up the mind and body.

Running is a great way to relieve stress and clear the mind.

The brilliant thing about swimming is that, while you're doing it, there's nothing else you could be getting on with, like the ironing or sorting out the children. My mind goes into free-float mode; some of the best ideas for plots come into my head while I'm ploughing up and down the pool.

I get so many big ideas while I'm running and such clarity while I'm lifting weights. And staying fit keeps me happy and positive.

The gym is somewhere you can go to just forget for an hour what you do for a living, what you are doing on a daily basis. You just turn up and get on with it.