We all consume a lot of media.
Recent global reports show that the average person now spends over 7 hours a day consuming digital media. That includes social feeds, streaming, gaming, podcasts, and more.
The average amount of time we spend on social media is 2 hours 23 minutes.
And the worst thing is, we don’t even choose most of it. Algorithms do.
That means your attention (arguably your most valuable asset) is being spent, not invested. Not by you, anyway!
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Start taking your power back
The good news is, even within these platforms, you do have some control. Start small. The next time you see an ad or a post you don’t like, click the little dots and tell the algorithm, “Not interested.”
You can slowly train your feed to show more of what you care about and less of what drags you off track.
Even better: unsubscribe. Over the next week, every time you get an email from a brand or creator, ask yourself
Is this helping me become the person I want to be? Or is it just noise?
If it’s not serving the path you’re on, let it go. One click. Less clutter in your mind.
I’ve done this for years. And checking my email is something I actually enjoy rather just sorting through a deluge of emails trying to sell me stuff.
When it’s too interesting
Here’s something unexpected: I noticed that whenever I had a free evening, it would vanish. I’d sit down to relax, put the tv on, and suddenly it was bedtime and I’d done… nothing?
It turns out I’d curated my Facebook feed so well that it became too interesting. Every scroll gave me a hit of dopamine, and I’d end up spending hours lost in it.
I checked the Digital Wellbeing app on my Android phone. Between Facebook and Chrome, I was spending 1.5–2 hours a day. 14 hours a week of looking at random stuff on the internet. Even though it’s stuff I’m interested in, that’s not how I want to spend my life.
So I set limits. You can go into Digital Wellbeing and set a daily timer per app. I gave myself 10 minutes for Facebook, 20 minutes for Chrome.
Now I’m much more intentional when I open them. I have a specific thing I want to do. I do it. Then get on with my life.
Rather than just settling down on the sofa and scrolling while my time slips away.
Align your input with who you want to be
This isn’t about consuming nothing. It’s about consuming with intention.
Ask yourself:
What kind of media aligns with the me I want to be?
Maybe that means buying a book on a new topic, listening to a podcast that stretches your thinking, or connecting with people who share your values.
Sometimes, you don’t realise something isn’t right for you until you hear a better alternative.
For example: I used to watch loads of YouTube videos on how to grow a channel. Titles like “10 tricks to get more views” or “Secrets to viral thumbnails.” And they all sounded different, but eventually I realised – they were saying the same things, over and over. And I didn’t feel like they were really getting to the heart of what I wanted to learn.
Then I stumbled across someone who said, “I work with people who run businesses and also use YouTube – not people who want to be full-time entertainment YouTubers.”
That’s when it clicked.
I don’t want to be a YouTuber. I never have. I want to help people live more fulfilling lives. I want to build a business that supports that.
I’d been paying attention to all the wrong things – and they were shaping my decisions. I’d lost sight of what I actually set out to do in the first place and was getting sucked into that YouTuber world instead.
Just a small insight. But now I’m watching totally different things. And I’ feel more aligned and I’m making progress in the right direction.
Pay attention to what you’re paying attention to this week.
Is it taking you in the direction you want to go? If not, start taking the power back.
Emily xx
References
Digital 2024: Global Overview Report. https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2024-global-overview-report