Image provided by New Theory Magazine.
Dear friends,
Hope this message finds you in a positive and productive groove. I can’t believe we’re a whole month into 2018 already! If, like me, you haven’t hit your stride in the last month, hang in there. Any new habit or strategy takes time to implement, and January can feel like an uphill battle.
This month I am recommending a strategy that I think will help you maintain your energy, whether you’re charged up or starting to flag. Try a media diet! I am not suggesting that you stick your head in the sand (although I’ve been tempted many times to do just that.) Instead, think of your attention as a currency. It is limited and you want to spend it wisely, in ways that enrich your life and/or work. Have you ever idly tuned in to media, whether it is TV or social media or podcasts, and (1) spent more time than you planned on it, or (2) felt too tired and drained for your actual work afterwards?
This definitely happened to me a lot, and towards the end of 2017, in a desperate bid for any extra time at all, I deleted Facebook and Twitter from my phone. Much to my surprise, I didn’t miss them at all. I probably only got a few spare minutes back, but I ended each (long) day feeling less drained. I still am on both those sites daily, but only when I am at the computer, and having them off my phone sets natural limits.
You can also curate your content. Don’t focus on what you “should” be reading or watching- just think about what your priorities are and what content fits. Now, I will be the first person to admit I don’t always have the energy to process challenging or emotionally difficult media. I think it’s more than fine to spend time on lighthearted, entertaining, undemanding stuff- it can be rejuvenating if it’s intentional. I keep a list of audiobooks my kids like so that I can listen to them while I commute, and it keeps me from defaulting to something that won’t make me happy.
My final and somewhat hypocritical advice is- limit the advice! You know I love lifehacks and self-improvement, but I recently realized that all my strategy and self-improvement content was becoming counterproductive. If you read an article or listen to a podcast that makes you think you need to start meditating or waking up at 5 or keeping a journal or whatever, that can add to your mental to-do list. Honestly, change is hard, and it is better to choose one thing and commit to it, at least for a defined time period, than to have lots of ideas come at you constantly. Also, I realized that for me, sometimes listening to/ reading about self-improvement content made me feel like I was doing the self-improvement work. Then, when I didn’t get results, I felt discouraged.
I hope this email makes you feel like you have permission to indulge your attention in whatever you like and that you are not obligated to spend it in ways that don’t serve you. Being intentional is the critical element.
As always, I look forward to hearing from you. Please keep in touch!
Warmly,
Urmimala