You can’t pour from an empty cup

You can’t pour from an empty cup.

We usually use that metaphor to talk about burnout, but it applies to nearly everything we do in product, marketing, engineering, and design.

• You can’t generate leads without content.
• You can’t create content without product features.
• You shouldn’t build product features without market and user research.
• You shouldn’t design without content and context.

All are true, but we often skip the second half of the saying:

You can’t pour from an empty cup because you have to fill the cup first.

Whether that cup is creativity, clarity, strategy, alignment, or personal energy, you can’t give what you don’t have.

So take the time to fill it.

Read. Explore. Rest. Ask real questions. Look at your data. Talk to users. Collaborate early.

Give yourself (and your teams) the space to refill the thing that makes everything else possible.

Full cups don’t just prevent burnout. They create better work.