It's natural to burn the midnight oil when you're facing deadlines. And to make matters worse, it's getting tougher to find sleep in Prince George's County with open late night. I recently found myself at BnM Studios in Forestville, barely able to stand because I was so tired. While I took "cat naps" during the day, I missed out on valuable daytime hours. As a filmmaker, you sometimes have to sacrifice sleep for the sake of production. However, if there is a way to finish your work during the day, I strongly urge you to do so. Beauty sleep never hurts.
Last year, I shot a video in Upper Marlboro and did not leave the location until very early the next morning. It was the adrenaline that fueled us: We created a video so cool that everyone spent the rest of the night networking.
In this business, you make your own hours and schedule yourself accordingly. Staying up all night does not mean you're on the grind. Sometimes, people think that putting your body through stress is the process of "grinding." People who get up at the crack of dawn and work until sunset are "grinding," too. It's funny to see people compete about who can stay up the longest. Sometimes you need a good night's rest to clear your mind. If you stay up all night, then your brain never hits the "restart" button.
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For instance, I once worked for two days straight because I had several projects to complete. But because of that schedule, I eventually crashed and slept the majority of the next day. I lost out on business and was not happy about it at all. You can't function without a clear head. The "grind" is great but it doesn't mean anything if you can't function. Work smarter not harder. Don’t push your body to hard because you're definitely going to need it.