Creating vs Consuming: the crisis of our time

maybe...it is that damn phone

“I spend too much time on my phone”, “Just three more TikToks/Reels then I’ll move on to the other things I need to do”, “This person’s posts got thousands of views, how did they do that?”

Have you ever thought any of this to yourself?

I know I have.

I consider myself a writer and a creative, but the issue I consistently struggle with is: How much do I actually create and write? I know I spend a considerable amount of time just consuming media and not actually creating writing for people to read.

I was listening to a podcast for writers recently that said if you stopped spending 1 hour of screen time on your phone every day, you’d be saving 365 hours a year. That’s equivalent to 15 DAYS SAVED FROM YOUR PHONE! I couldn’t believe it. I Googled (cause I ain’t gonna ask ChatGPT this simple question) how much time the average person spends on their phone. Google’s AI overview (unfortunately the first thing that pops up now) said that the average American spends 4.5-5.5 hours EVERY DAY.

Still skeptical of my digital addiction, I went into my phone’s report on how much time I spend on my phone. It told me that I had already spent 4 hours that day. It was 7 PM. My day was far from over, but I had already given that device 4 hours of my day.

I thought to myself, “What could I have done in those 4 hours?” or even better, “If I had only used it for 3 hours instead of 4.”

I’ve been beating myself up over not having enough time to write or create content on my socials and newsletters.

The truth is that there is time, I’ve just been wasting it.

This was a tough reality check.

One of the trends I’ve seen on social media recently is the one of being “stuck” and “feeling like you’re losing time in your 20s”. I know I’ve resonated with this.

Life does feel overwhelming with many things to do but little time to do them. There are so many books to read, so much food to try, so many places to visit, (and for me) so many stories to write. But alas, each day only has 24 hours to get everything done.

And so go the days, that turn to weeks, that turn to years.

There is a valid crisis of people who don’t want to look back at their life and think, “I never got to do what I wanted to do.”

I’m not saying that throwing your phone away will magically make all your dreams come true, but limiting the amount of content and media you consume might be the beginning of something.

Throughout history, many things were invented because of the need for survival. Now, things are invented out of boredom. It is important to be able to be bored (or at least let our mind rest from constant media overload) to create.

I do say this from a creative’s point of view, but this can be applied to anyone who has goals they’ve been putting off.

I know I am tired of giving my phone 15 days out of my year. I’d rather spend that time doing what I love than trying to cope with my unrealized dreams.

Time is precious. Your attention is precious. What do you want to do with them?

Thank you so much for getting all the way to the end! I appreciate your support.

If you enjoyed reading this and want to read more posts geared to young adults trying to figure out life, then my Substack is probably for you!

Sending you a hug!

-Cristina 💐