Paying Attention

A New Mindfulness Method

Like you, I am drowning in content: novels, podcasts, audiobooks, movies, essays, articles, TV series, poetry, memoirs, emails, posts, messages, newsfeeds, magazines, how-to videos. I have always been an avid (and fast) reader and am a longtime news junkie, but no matter how fast I read nor how many sites I skim, there is no way for me to keep up with the amount of content coming at me every day.

Also like you, I’m addicted to my phone, which delivers most of the content I consume. I play my audiobooks through the apps Libby and Everand on my phone. I read most of my email on my phone (yet still have more than 7,000 unread emails, because I can’t keep up). I scroll a lot of social media sites on my phone. And, of course, I receive and respond to many personal and political messages every day on my phone, as well. Despite promising myself many times that I will stop looking at my phone as I fall asleep and as soon as I wake up, I continue to do just that.

My compulsive content consumption leaves me little time for creating (writing or making any art or content of my own) nor even for connecting with the people I love. And because I’m so awash in content, I am retaining almost nothing. The content is coming at me so fast it’s like I’m being water-boarded, content pouring in continuously, filling my lungs, leaving me no time nor energy to reflect on anything I’m reading or hearing or seeing, no emotional capacity to absorb any wisdom or insight.  

To address this, I’ve decided to make a really bold, life-changing new rule for myself:  

I will not allow myself to consume any new content until I have written about and reflected on what I’ve already read, watched, or listened to.

Doing this will allow me to find my own voice, which is currently as drowned as the rest of me. Following this rule will be a truly mindful practice, making me take a mindful moment to create my own response to everything I consume. I will be forced to think much more, to feel much more, and to keep landing in the present moment as I practice having thoughtful reactions.

I invite you to join me in instituting this rule into your own life. If you don’t feel ready to do this, as I recognize this is a revolutionary, life-changing step, I hope you will at least monitor me to see how I do with the new rule. I will write about the rule and its results here on this Substack in the hopes that you will hold me accountable.

Naturally, following this rule will greatly slow me down. I won’t be able to read as much if I have to stop to write about every book, essay, or article as soon as I finish it. I won’t be able to listen to as many podcasts, watch as many TV shows, scroll through as many social media sites, etc., which is exactly the point. I will (I hope) consume less content, but I will also be able to process the content I’m consuming. I will think about ideas and stories and research. I will engage with each text. I will strive to synthesize what I’m reading (and hearing and watching). And then I will be brave enough to form an opinion and share my thoughts here. Wish me luck!