Doing is different from making

Last weekend, I baked bread for the first time.

After nurturing my sourdough starter and watching YouTube videos for almost a month, I felt ready to DO this.

Then, as I found myself consumed by the process—hands covered in dough, unable to distract myself with my phone, fully absorbed in the thing in front of me—I realized this felt different from doing something.

I was making something.

I looked it up. There’s actually a pretty big difference between doing and making.

Do
verb
1. perform.
2. achieve or complete.

Make
verb
1. form by putting parts together or combining substances; construct; create.
2. cause to exist or come about; bring about.

While doing is about performance and achievement, making is about creation.

When you’re focused on achievement, you’re mostly engaging the logical, analytical part of your brain—the left side. When you’re focused on creation, you’re using more of your right brain—the intuitive, imaginative side.

Finding ways to tap into your right-brain energy doesn’t require you to take up bread making or guitar playing. Making versus doing can be an orientation to life.

You can do chores. Or you can make your home beautiful.

You can do three sets of weight lifting. Or you can make a commitment to become strong.

You can do the assignment your boss gave you. Or you can make yourself someone people can depend on.

Whether at home, with your health, or in your career, how you’re being matters more than what you’re doing.

To experiment with “making” your way through life, try reviewing your to-do list and asking yourself this question about each item:

What will completing this task allow me to create?

Los Angeles
February 11, 2025

ps. If you’re interested in my sourdough details, I followed the Country Bread recipe from Chad Robertson’s Tartine Bread book. With A LOT of help from Tom from Cleveland.