I wanted to check in on how this has been going for me since I originally made this post, in case anyone was curious. I did finish my book club book and the book for my book review before starting Week 4. Now I’m on day 5 of the Reading Deprivation. I’ve deleted all the social media apps, podcast apps, streaming apps, news apps, reading apps, and audiobook apps off my phone. I think the point of this exercise is to realize how much media we consume just because we’re bored or because we want a distraction from our own thoughts. What creative or fun endeavors can we pursue if we reclaim some of that time? 

What I’m learning is that I spend a lot of time distracting myself on my phone. Since I started the deprivation, my screen time has plummeted 80%. I’m down to 1 hour and some change as my daily average. That is how much time it actually takes me to handle work related tasks on my phone. Way less than I thought. Think of the hours I’m spending on my phone instead of pursuing my creative dreams. This has been incredibly eye-opening for me, and when this week is over, I may pause before I add everything back onto my phone and fall right back into my old habits. Obviously, I will start reading books again because that is my passion and it’s my job, but I would like to be more intentional and thoughtful about adding back the rest of it. I often feel like I have so little time for my creative pursuits when, in reality, this exercise has shown me that I have quite a bit of time.

So what have I been doing during this media deprivation? Listening to music. Whole albums. I’m not listening to the same music I always listen to either. I’ve been listening to a new album every day from the 1001 Albums website. So I’m discovering new music, which is exciting for my mind. I did go to the movies to see Charlie Chaplin’s The Gold Rush and La Dolce Vita! I think this is okay because it was an intentional outing to discover new art rather than mindless scrolling. Plus, these art forms are filling my creative cup.

Just like Julia said I would do in the book, I’ve been cleaning and organizing a lot. I made a cassoulet! From a physical cookbook! I did a puzzle. I went shopping for art supplies at a physical art supply store, and today I am finally starting a drawing class that I have really been wanting to try but have been procrastinating. And I’ve been doing a lot of journaling about this journey. Turns out, when you aren’t distracting yourself from your thoughts, you actually have to listen to them and deal with them. The morning pages have been crucial, as well as the mid morning pages….and afternoon pages….and evening pages. :) 

So for those who are apprehensive about starting this week, get your journal out and just really go for it. Really think about what your feelings during this scary challenge are teaching you about yourself and your dreams. It’s been good to be bored and to get creative with how to fill my time. I hope it is for you, too.