How much is too much?
We are 16 weeks into 2023 and I feel as if I have been spinning around in a washing machine for all of them.
Back at the end of December Mitch got what I call a “real job.” Prior to this entrance into essentially working a 9-5 he was a business owner (still is, but the real job has been an addition). The schedule that he now keeps is waking up Monday-Friday at 3:30am. It has been a tough adjustment and I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to it.
The reason that I bring this up is because our lives went from busy to extremely busy. Our schedules went from packed to overflowing. Our podcast, time together watering our relationship, and time to spend just relaxing or having fun is now just another box to check.
To put it simply, I’ve been feeling overloaded in so many ways. You can only add so many things to your wagon before the wagon cracks under all of the pressure. We think we can do it all and we wear the badge of being busy like a great honor.
I’m here to tell you that we can’t do it all and the busy badge is not one to be sought after.
I think that the way that we jam pack our schedules and lives to fit everything in is tied to a lot of things but the one that we’re focusing on today is consumption.
Consumption of other peoples content.
Let me start off by saying that obviously I don’t think consuming content is bad. I have a podcast, social media, and this email list. I think that consumption on these platforms can be wonderful. But I also think that consumption on these platforms can be terrible.
We have every single piece of information at our fingertips 24/7. When I was healing from mold I was obsessed with researching all things mold. I learned a lot and ultimately was able to heal but there was a period of time where all of the information that I was consuming on mold and health related social media content was hindering my progress. I didn’t realize that at the time, of course, but reflecting on it I can see it clear as day.
And that brings me to the question of how much consumption of social media content is too much?
I see (and do/have done) a whole lot of consuming without the process of implementing what I learn. We’re always seeking the next thing and not taking a moment to sit with what we learned and then incorporating it into our life.
What’s the point of consuming all of the time if you’re not putting it into practice?
All that we’re doing is spending a lot of time feeling really productive but deep down just draining our levels of growth and progression more and more.
So, I’ve been thinking about this for myself. What is a good amount of consuming? Should I only listen to x amount of podcasts? Follow x amount of people on Instagram? Only consume in a state of presence and not just because I’m bored or doing it out of impulse?
I don’t have the answers and I honestly think that the answers look differently for everyone. But I do think that these are important questions to ask on your journey, whatever it may entail.
A good rule of thumb is to create before you consume and/or more than you consume. And this also looks different for everyone.
But when you tap into that peace and flow, expressing that energy and turning it into something real then it becomes powerful. It becomes something more potent than the next best supplement. It becomes the medicine.
I’m not just going to wake up and magically have space in my life and mind. Neither are you. It’s something that we have to work towards and consistently check in with. Being busy and feeling productive without really moving the needle is an addiction. It’s an epidemic. It prohibits us from having to ask ourselves what is stopping us from getting where we want to go and using all of our excess commitments as excuses or distractions.
You have the power to radically change your life and your situation. Watching someone do squats on Instagram or dance and point to words that disappear too quickly to be read is not going to heal whatever is needing more love in your life.
As I’ve been sharing lately, I am working towards all of the things that I have been talking about - creating a more peaceful, spacious, and aligned life. I encourage you to do the same. Because what’s the point of anything else?
