A Week Without Media Consumption
A reading, TV and social media ban: it was hellish, but I’ll do it again
In April, when I was still in the depths of my break-up grief, I wrote about the concept of priority seasons. Sometimes our priority seasons are chosen for us because we need to heal, and other times we get to choose. As my break-up fog lifted and I was ready to enter a new phase, my creativity needed my attention.
I was stuck. My body would slump when I talked about my writing and I noticed that other people seemed more excited about me being a writer than I was. Following a conversation with a helpful friend, I started doing The Artist’s Way.
The Artist’s Way is a three-month course by writer Julia Cameron designed to overcome creative blocks. Since the book’s publication in the 1990s, The Artist’s Way has sold millions of copies and is legendary in creative circles. Each week has a series of exercises with a different focus - I’m currently on the one about limiting beliefs about money and creativity. Every week, throughout the course, you’re instructed to write daily morning pages - three pages of stream-of-consciousness journaling and do an artist date alone. The artist's date can be visiting a gallery, going to the theatre or trying something new like drawing or pottery.
I’ve owned a copy of The Artist’s Way for five years and have never gotten past the first couple of weeks. However, this time was different and it felt good to have a clear path as I moved through the weeks of the course. Something within me was shifting.
Then I got to week four.
Week four is the one that says that you’re not to read or watch TV for a week. The book is less clear on 2023 distractions (thankfully, listening to music was allowed.) So I decided that podcasts, social media, news sites and Substack were all banned. I kept WhatsApp and the dating app Hinge because those apps, although very time-consuming, are less about consuming content and more about speaking to people. Cameron suggests that we be more active and social during this week, or do things like painting or home organisation with our time.
Cameron doesn’t explicitly say why the reading ban is good, but I could make guesses and was open-minded to the process. What Cameron does say, is that her students who were most resistant to it at first were the ones who got the most out of it.
I was terrified as I was reading the instructions for the reading ban. I live alone, I’m single and I work from home by myself all day. Podcasts, TV, books and the Internet keep me company in an otherwise quiet life. Being left alone with my thoughts was very uncomfortable.
I usually look forward to the end of the day when I can consume content and I wasn’t happy when Monday evening on the first day of the ban came around. I was already irritated and bored but after dinner, I started colouring in and got into a state of flow with it.
On Tuesday, I cheated and made my weekly artist date a trip to the cinema to see the latest Pixar movie. It was a hot day, so the cinema was empty. I didn’t want to go home and sit with my thoughts, so I went to my local pub for a drink. I often go there alone, but bring a book to read. This time, as I couldn’t scroll on my phone or read, I sat there staring into space. I’ve been going to this pub for two summers now and this is the first time a stranger talked to me. We had a pleasant conversation and it shows how cut off we make ourselves to serendipitous connection when we always have our heads down, phone in hand.
The days were kind of fine. I didn’t miss Instagram at all and in the mornings, I’d just get up instead of lying around scrolling. The nights were far harder. I struggled to sleep without my usual pre-bed reading wind-down. My brain would hurt a little from an evening of thoughts. I’d randomly feel bursts of sadness and cry about things I hadn’t thought about in a while. A friend sent me a yoga nidra that helped me get to sleep and that helped.
I felt like an addict withdrawing and I found myself being creative with my phone use. I opened every marketing email from a brand that I was sent and scrolled through shopping websites because I couldn’t read my usual Substack newsletters. I read all my NextDoor emails, filled with neighbourhood complaints and crime, too. I usually find WhatsApp a bit overwhelming, but I managed to stay on top of my messages and very engaged with all group chats.
I missed reading the most.
On Wednesday afternoon I didn’t have much work to do and it was very hot. Usually, I’d go to a park and read in the sun, but I didn’t want to just lie there, so instead I went for a massive walk. In general, I was more active during the week. On weekends, I usually wake up and read for ages, but during this week, I got up and out early to yoga classes. It was fun to peruse Broadway Market before it got too busy and I’ve been doing that every weekend since the ban.
The week was an absolute game-changer for Hinge. Dating app admin is a CHORE and the best time of day to do it is at the end of the day when there’s the allure of TV watching instead. However, with nothing better to do and a desire to scroll through SOMETHING, I went through men’s profiles, sent out likes and had a far higher volume of chats than usual. This was possibly one of the best outcomes of the ban.
By Friday, I was getting used to it, but then I’d also been out most evenings with friends. I was meant to go on a date on Friday evening, but he was messing me around. I hesitated to ditch him as I couldn’t face the thought of ANOTHER evening AT HOME WITH MY THOUGHTS. But then, I decided it was the right thing to do, cancelled on him and pulled out my colouring book.
The irony is that I wasn’t particularly productive during the week. I failed to publish a newsletter and didn’t achieve much. This surprised me the most as I thought I’d get all those boring household tasks that I needed to do, but the time I usually read or watch TV are times when I’m physically tired from the day and so wasn’t in the mood. I felt uncomfortable, a bit underslept, and didn’t enjoy being at home as much anymore.
I found it hellish.
The level of distraction that we’re operating in as a society is quite scary. I’m addicted to my phone and likely so are you.
However, come Monday morning when I was FREE to consume content, I woke up and I just… didn’t. I tentatively downloaded Instagram on my phone and quickly deleted it again. After a difficult week of addictive withdrawal, I’d managed to form new habits and the new content-free world I was living in felt fine.
Slowly and mindfully, I’ve been reintroducing content, but on the whole, I consume a lot less now. I’m watching less TV, and scrolling less and even though I wasn’t productive during the week of the ban, I feel more productive now. I’m writing more, making my way through household chores and admin and really appreciating being able to read a book at night before bed.
Sitting in my thoughts was unpleasant at the time, but it also meant that now I fear them less. Since the ban, I feel increasingly creatively confident and willing to face up to the limiting beliefs I have about my next phase of writing.
The level of distraction that we’re operating in as a society is quite scary. I’m addicted to my phone and likely so are you. It’s so easy for us to run and hide from difficult feelings by looking down at our portable devices. They hold so much power over us. The week-long ban was a brilliant reset to change my relationship and reliance on content consumption.
I hated the ban. It was hellish. But I’ll definitely be doing it again.
With love,
Tiff x
Have you done something similar or think you’d benefit from the challenge? Let me know in the comments!
I'm glad you're doing well and spending time with yourself, because you're one of the most awesome people I know and you should get to enjoy that as often as possible. Loved reading your reflections, thanks for sharing ❤️
Love this Tiff. I need a media break! Scary and inspiring. Love the honesty here xo