Less Consuming. More Creating.

The other night I mentioned to David how I want him to watch a certain show on Netflix with me. The very next morning, my mom texted me to tell me about two shows and a book she thought I’d enjoy. My to-read list is already 289 miles long, so what’s one more book rec? And there are so many movies that have come out in the last, oh, five years or so that I reeeeeally want to see but haven’t for one reason or another.

How does anyone have time to consume all the media they want without doing only that 24/7?

On one hand, I feel like I’m missing out on something because I still haven’t seen “The Greatest Showman.” On the other hand, there are so many other things I could do with my time that I don’t feel bad for not prioritizing it.

I remember a conversation I had years ago with a few blogger friends. Someone asked, “So do any of you even read blogs anymore?” And the general consensus was a resounding NO. One woman said, “I just can’t. If I read all the blogs I wanted to read, I wouldn’t have time to create my own content.”

It’s an interesting conundrum. You want to create content that you hope others will take time to consume, but in the process of creating, you no longer have time to consume the content others have created.

I can’t speak for anyone else, but it rings true for me. The more time I spend consuming–whether it’s social media + blogs or movies or books or anything else–the less time I have available to create. I’m not great at multitasking and am sensitive to aural stimuli, so it’s hard for me to even bake cookies while listening to a podcast.

And here’s the problem: I’ve noticed that lately my consumption/creation pendulum has been swinging too far to one side.

Instead of writing or doodling or finishing house projects or or or…I’m watching every last Instagram story in my feed or updating my Pinterest boards or or or…

I want to create but it’s easier to consume.

Not that consumption in itself is bad. It’s good to consume things that inspire you, teach you something, give you rest from daily stresses, or are just plain fun. It’s the amount and the type of consumption that starts to cause problems, at least for me.

Too much of the wrong thing becomes numbing–or worse, paralyzing–instead of inspiring, and then I’m even less likely to be creative afterward.

Alas, I don’t have a pithy conclusion here. Mostly lots of thoughts rolling around my brain that might turn into something useful down the road.

For now, I know I want to shift back to a more balanced place between consumption + creation. I’m not going to stop watching my shows on Monday nights while I fold laundry, nor do I intend to read less. Those things allow me to breathe and rest my soul. But I could definitely cut back in other areas to make space for creative projects.

Maybe it’s not about less consumption, but being smarter about what + when, so it’s just better.

I’ll let ya know how it goes.

Do you ever catch yourself consuming too much or not enough…or too much of the wrong things and not enough of the right ones? How do you find a balance between creation + consumption that works for you?

Images from an old photo shoot with Photography Hill. I went back through old posts to see where else I’d used these and found this HILARIOUS post, just in case you need something else to consume. 😉