Battle Overconsumption with Creation
Our modern world has made us captives of consumption – and I found a way to escape captivity. Not because of natural immunity, but out of necessity: not so long ago, social media had me in its grasp once again.
There are many apps that are indispensable when you are solo traveling. You might think of Google Maps or a booking app like Booking.com. And you are right – but there is one that is on par with these apps. This app does not show you where the nearest gas station or the best-priced hotel is. Rather, it helps you with one of the most beautiful aspects of solo traveling: meeting other people. And there is no app more powerful for staying in contact with your fellow travelers than Instagram. But after a week of having the app on my phone again, I realized that I did not use it for communication that much. Once again, the algorithm had me in its grasp. Whenever I took a cab, I would not look out of the window, seeing all the wonders and inspirations that foreign countries have to offer. My eyes were glued to the screen, watching the next workout tip or the next philosophy quote. In Switzerland, my solution to this problem is simply not having Instagram on my phone. I would only download it if I really needed to – which was never. But during my travels, I simply cannot download Instagram every time I want to use it because of roaming data. The strategy that works at home turned out to be unsuitable for longer stays in foreign countries.
But there is a way out of this conundrum: creation.
Our brain is the supercomputer that guides us through life. If you have fallen captive to consumption like I have, this does not mean that your brain is broken. It means it is wired incorrectly for the behavior that you want to achieve. This is why we must rewire our brains.
Here is what worked like magic for me: every time you want to consume something that you know is not good for you, create instead. For example, instead of opening TikTok, write something in Notion. I am writing this blog post only to escape the pull of consumption. Every time you choose creation over consumption, your brain notices. Before long, your brain will tend towards creation.
This does not mean that you have to create a full art piece every time. Start small. Even if you write down a sentence or doodle a little but then immediately open the app anyway, it is a small victory. We are building momentum, not putting the pedal to the metal from the start.
Humans were meant to create. I still believe that to live a full life – one you can be proud of – you must lean on the side of creation. Not only that, but one day you can look back at what you created over the years and be in awe. But this is only possible if you collect your creations in the form of memories. Luckily for us, digital tools give us great storage opportunities for our creations. Always save a copy of your digital creations. If you create something physical, take a picture of it. Just imagine how proud and beautiful it will be when you can look at all your creations when you have reached old age. A creation database will function as your storage vault for your life’s work. Your 90-year-old self will shed tears of joy.
However, not all consumption is created equal. Consuming what other people created can serve as a brilliant source of inspiration. What I am talking about is the mindless consumption of content – the time not intentionally spent. If we can reduce that, it will have immeasurably great effects on our lives. Every extreme is unhealthy over time. So there must also be a balance between creation and consumption. But because consumption weighs so much heavier on the mind than creation, the scale must tip in favor of creation.
Mindless consumption is like breathing but being dead at the same time. Live, and create instead.