What I Did
During the final week of July I took a break from news and entertainment media. I stopped watching YouTube, Netflix, Hulu and movies. I didn’t listen to music or NPR and drove in total silence. Also, I gave up all forms of social media, only checking Facebook once a day in case a friend sent me a private message. I stopped visiting news websites in general (asking my wife to give me a heads up if anything big happened).
Why I Took A Break From Media Entertainment
I know it’s trite to complain about how Netflix and Social Media are time wasters that eat up our attention span. However, since the start of the (ongoing) pandemic, I’ve definitely relied on them more and more. These days my knee jerk reaction is to have YouTube on in the background whenever I’m completing a quick household chore, grossly reducing the amount of time I spend with my own thoughts. My attention span has greatly reduced over this past year. All of this is to say, I needed a vacation.
How The Vacation Went
SUNDAY – This was a fantastic day to start my break from media. My wife and I were already planning to get up ludicrously early to hike a mountain and we didn’t get back until late in the afternoon. Because we were out in the middle of nowhere I wouldn’t have been able to take advantage of social media or streaming services anyway. When we got home I initially wanted to get online but instead started reading Empire of Wild by Cherie Dimaline.
MONDAY – It felt odd to wake up and not immediately watch Last Week Tonight. The house felt unnaturally quiet in the morning. I went for a walk, fed the cats and edited a chapter of a new novel I’m working on. Then I left for work. While eerily quiet, this morning was surprisingly productive.
TUESDAY – This was the hardest day so far. I was at home all day and while I had plenty to write/edit, it was difficult to not rely on YouTube/Netflix during my breaks or when I was doing laundry and washing dishes. The house still feels unnervingly quiet. While I got a lot of editing done, I ended the day feeling more on edge than usual.
WEDNESDAY – I’ve started to get into the rhythm of mornings without watching The Daily Show or Last Week Tonight. Honestly I’m enjoying going for walks immediately after waking up (although the cats complain that I’m stepping out without feeding them). I might keep this as a part of my routine even after the week is over.
THURSDAY – I’ll be the first to admit that this might be the placebo affect, but I do feel like my attention span has gotten longer. Either that or I simply have more time to get work done since I’m not taking as many breaks, and I’m getting through chores faster. I might also just be in a good mood because I found out today that I got a job I’ve been after for a while.
FRIDAY – So driving in silence is still annoying, but I’m starting to enjoy this break from media. While I strongly believe that everyone should pay attention to what’s going on in the world and utilizing multiple new resources, it is a breath of fresh air to step away from it all for a few days (my wife has more or less kept me up to date these past few days). Also, I’ve noticed I’m starting to pick up on details in nature more (sunsets/leaves). However, once again, it could be I’m just expecting this to happen.
SATURDAY – Wouldn’t have had much of a chance to watch anything today. I was at work all day and immediately afterward ran a half marathon with my wife (we’re training for the Baltimore Marathon). Even so, I got considerably more editing done in the morning than I normally would have. I’m very happy with the number of chapters I’ve revised this week. Also, I finished reading Empire of Wild, I really enjoyed it.
Going Forward
Despite the first couple days being a little off, I feel more refreshed than I have in a while. I will try to continue some of the habits I’ve developed this week, such as going for a walk first thing in the morning and completing simple household chores without YouTube or Netflix so I can spend time with my thoughts. I’m writing this on Sunday and honestly I’m more or less still living as though I’m taking this media break.
I’m considering taking “vacations” like this one throughout the year. Maybe not a whole week, but just a few days where I can stop having so many screens on and step back from it all.
