That's a really good way of putting it -- I can definitely relate. When I was in college I think hypomania helped me do really well and maintain high grades, the structured, task-oriented environment fit well with my hyperactive, focused, mindset.

But after graduating I spent several months unemployed and during that time (I was shifting between hypomania and full-blown mania for a few months) I spent time working on a variety of relatively trivial projects that I thought had profound significance... didn't really get much done.