Hello.
Lately, I’ve been journaling about my relationship with content—both consumption and creation. I’m not sure if it began as a thought or a feeling. It was more like a flicker deep inside me, a sudden spark of recognition: What would happen if I stopped making content? What would happen if I stopped consuming content?
What poured out of me was a tangled mess of thoughts and feelings, each one barely scratching the surface of the self-awareness and inner work required to answer those questions, and the dozens of others that surfaced in the excavation.
At the heart of it is the weight of being chronically online:
The unavoidable influence on what I think, feel, read, wear, watch, eat, write.
My fractured, unfocused attention.
The urge to be seen, witnessed, validated.
The chokehold of an unending desire for more.
The constant drip, drip, drip of dopamine—and yet, never feeling sated.
The performance of it all.
Perhaps I’ll write more on this later, but for now I want to share a list of how I’m spending my time instead of picking up my phone or laptop. I hope it inspires you to carve out some analog moments—where time slows, the buzz quiets, and you return to yourself even if just for ten minutes.
Ten things I’m doing instead of scrolling:
Tearing up old magazines and making collages. The only rules: I have to make a mess, and I can’t try to make them “good”.
Pen-to-paper journaling. Preferably at my desk or writing table. I usually journal digitally, but this has felt better than expected.
Making lists. Rather than chasing every thought, I write them down. Recent ones: things I’m yearning for right now, things I want to read, self-limiting beliefs, things that give black cat energy, albums I want to add to my collection.
Sketching. A five-minute sketch every day for the rest of 2025. Some days I linger longer.
Walking. Alone. No music, no podcasts, no phone. Just me and my thoughts.
Listening to vinyl. Playing each record and sorting them into two piles: keep or donate.
Exercising. I’ve been lifting weights for years, but now I skip the scrolling between sets. I write. I think. I breathe.
Reading. I’ve always been a reader but now I reach for a book instead of my phone when I have just a few minutes of down time.
Creating simple, seasonal meals. Yesterday’s lunch: arugula with a drizzle of olive oil, cherry tomatoes, ripe peach slices, fresh goat cheese, avocado, Maldon sea salt, and grilled chicken. I’m still thinking about it.
Being bored. I’m re-learning how to sit in occasional boredom instead of reaching for a screen. It’s uncomfortable—and that’s how I know it’s working. Sometimes boredom becomes presence.
I was there, no urge that I had to check my phone or I was missing something. And just over two years ago I connected to it all. I love connecting with old family and friends, but
if I could go back 2 years, I think I would stay in dark 😊✌️