passive vs. active

I have a love/hate relationship with reading books. Similar to TV, movies, looking at Facebook, playing games, even listening to music, it is a passive activity that takes time away from actually creating art (composing, practicing, etc.). It's easy to sit and relax and before you know it, years can go by without creating anything new. On the other hand, sometimes you need to recharge and get your mind thinking about other things and be inspired. It's hard for me to balance those activities with limited free time while working a day job and remembering to pay attention to my family sometimes. I got hooked on reading novels again a couple years ago. It's been enjoyable, but it's also taking a lot of time away from making music. My playing has suffered in some ways, but in other ways, my playing has changed for the better as time away from the piano now has me listening with fresh ears and improving things. On the other hand, if people didn't spend time being passive, no one would have time to appreciate the creativity of other artists.