I like your idea of breaking the cycle of scrolling without engaging or creating, but for me, sometimes I scroll to sample. There are so many thoughtful essays and thinkers in Substack sometimes I need a minute to reflect, copy a new idea into my journal and don't really have a comment yet. Other times there can be some posts that are shallower - and I don't mean in a bad way, but then a comment from me could be clutter. I think what I'll do is to try to REDUCE mindless scrolling - lol! Thanks for the provocative post!
I have to agree about the way I find myself consuming on Substack versus other platforms. There is so much good longer form writing here, that I find myself processing it more slowly and differently and sometimes that does mean I'm not ready to comment right away. Interesting! Thanks for sharing.
I installed an app called One Sec that has helped me reduce the mindless scrolling on Instagram (that I fall in and out of, no matter any rules I create for myself). You set a timer and it pops up a screen that asks if you still need the app. If I'm interacting not just scrolling I can say "yes" if I'm scrolling, I say "no" and the app closes. Pretty nifty!
Thank you! So far I've been able to stick to it-- partially by actually posting/interacting and partially by just not using socials at all. 😂 We'll see which sticks!
I love this so much! But that's not surprising because during every one of your posts, I either nod if in public, or say "yes yes yes that's me" if not in public. THANK YOU for the perpetual inspiration to consciously and intentionally be better in some way. Happy Creating!
Thank YOU for the support! It's always nice to know these posts resonate and that I'm not the only one feeling these things! Report after day one of "creating instead of scrolling" -- mostly it just kept me off social media.🤣
And this: "But I suspect this is going to take something different. Something deeper. Like figuring out what I'm avoiding by not creating. Failure? Success? Criticism? Praise? Some bizarre cocktail of all four?" Very insightful.
I have to admit that while I do some scrolling, I'm the opposite of almost everyone I know in terms of how I handle social media. I'm a very selfish social media user! I pretty much access the apps ONLY when I want to create a post, OR when I want to check what, if any, responses a post I created has received. Now, do I fall into the scrolling habit when I log in specifically with the intent to create? Of course. But I tire of that pretty quickly. I'm more likely to go looking for the content I want--to see if a specific person I follow has posted anything recently that I might have missed due to my lack of scrolling.
Oh! This gives me hope that when you go in with a purpose of creating something, generally you don't scroll. I also love that you seek out specific content. I don't really use Facebook-- but I do have a handful of people I search just to see if they've posted updates (mostly far-away friends, to see pictures). It's funny to me that it didn't really click with me to use other social media this way until you just mentioned it.
Also, I wouldn't call your strategy selfish, per se! I think you've just set good boundaries!
I like your idea of breaking the cycle of scrolling without engaging or creating, but for me, sometimes I scroll to sample. There are so many thoughtful essays and thinkers in Substack sometimes I need a minute to reflect, copy a new idea into my journal and don't really have a comment yet. Other times there can be some posts that are shallower - and I don't mean in a bad way, but then a comment from me could be clutter. I think what I'll do is to try to REDUCE mindless scrolling - lol! Thanks for the provocative post!
I have to agree about the way I find myself consuming on Substack versus other platforms. There is so much good longer form writing here, that I find myself processing it more slowly and differently and sometimes that does mean I'm not ready to comment right away. Interesting! Thanks for sharing.
I installed an app called One Sec that has helped me reduce the mindless scrolling on Instagram (that I fall in and out of, no matter any rules I create for myself). You set a timer and it pops up a screen that asks if you still need the app. If I'm interacting not just scrolling I can say "yes" if I'm scrolling, I say "no" and the app closes. Pretty nifty!
This is a great rule!
Thank you! So far I've been able to stick to it-- partially by actually posting/interacting and partially by just not using socials at all. 😂 We'll see which sticks!
I love this so much! But that's not surprising because during every one of your posts, I either nod if in public, or say "yes yes yes that's me" if not in public. THANK YOU for the perpetual inspiration to consciously and intentionally be better in some way. Happy Creating!
Thank YOU for the support! It's always nice to know these posts resonate and that I'm not the only one feeling these things! Report after day one of "creating instead of scrolling" -- mostly it just kept me off social media.🤣
Love your new rule!
And this: "But I suspect this is going to take something different. Something deeper. Like figuring out what I'm avoiding by not creating. Failure? Success? Criticism? Praise? Some bizarre cocktail of all four?" Very insightful.
I have to admit that while I do some scrolling, I'm the opposite of almost everyone I know in terms of how I handle social media. I'm a very selfish social media user! I pretty much access the apps ONLY when I want to create a post, OR when I want to check what, if any, responses a post I created has received. Now, do I fall into the scrolling habit when I log in specifically with the intent to create? Of course. But I tire of that pretty quickly. I'm more likely to go looking for the content I want--to see if a specific person I follow has posted anything recently that I might have missed due to my lack of scrolling.
Oh! This gives me hope that when you go in with a purpose of creating something, generally you don't scroll. I also love that you seek out specific content. I don't really use Facebook-- but I do have a handful of people I search just to see if they've posted updates (mostly far-away friends, to see pictures). It's funny to me that it didn't really click with me to use other social media this way until you just mentioned it.
Also, I wouldn't call your strategy selfish, per se! I think you've just set good boundaries!