If you gave me a day to do absolutely nothing except doom-scroll, I would gladly take up the offer and max out my screen-time. However, as much as I love finding the newest phrase to keep repeating until my little sisters tell me “you’re ruining it” (luckily “my stupid chungus life” hasn’t become outdated yet — or has it?), this level of consumption quickly becomes detrimental. When you overconsume media, very little of what you are consuming is actually being processed. Instead, you’re left with a significantly reduced attention span. When I talk about overconsumption, I don’t just mean endless scrolling. I’m talking about the need to do everything simultaneously for maximum stimulation: not being able to watch a movie without checking your phone, always having a YouTube video up while eating dinner, or having chess.com open during lecture. Life has become a multi-tabbed experience.
So, as all people do when they need to stop scrolling on TikTok, I went to TikTok and searched for the secret way to stop consuming. I put a 30-minute limit on my social media apps, changed my phone to grayscale so it was the most unappealing experience of my life, turned off all my notifications — and it still backfired. There is nothing easier than just switching the settings back on your phone and scrolling again. It was infuriating, but I failed to realize that all the gaps in my day that I spent scrolling weren’t replaced with an alternative.
Luckily, I stumbled upon a quote that changed my mindset: “create more than you consume.” I filled in the gaps of my life with writing — both journaling and creative writing. I bought a new sketchbook. I unlocked my creative potential. But creativity isn’t easy, and it doesn’t just come naturally. You must consume to create, whether your diet be media other people have created or experiences that come with living. There is beauty in human-made creations because there is relatability that comes from shared experiences. If you aren’t experiencing, you cannot create in a fulfilling manner.
The problem isn’t consumption inherently, but rather how we consume. We have always consumed content and media in meaningful ways throughout our lives, but increasingly, we lean towards the short and sweet. It’s hard, in a world that only seems to move faster and faster, to really slow down despite feelings of wasting time, but this is exactly what we need to do. The ability to finish watching or reading something and truly take something, anything, away from it, is far more important than the sheer number of things you have watched or read. When you’re reading something, keep a notebook open and write down lines that stand out to you. Be attentive in the conversations you have with other people without picking up your phone. Really engage with the material and the world in front of you.
Balance doesn’t need to be a grand thing. I’m not telling you to write a 70,000 word story only after having read five 300 page novels, I’m suggesting that you go on Pinterest and search up “fall outfit inspo” and put together an outfit for the next day. Listen to music with the lyrics open and then create an oddly specific playlist. Watch a movie and then write a review about it. Grab a strip of paper and color it in, and then use it as a bookmark for that book you’ve been wanting to read. Take it slow. You have time. Just because what you are consuming is fast doesn’t mean it’s not consuming your time. Replace it with an intentional and slow cycle of consumption and creation: It will do you good.
