📚 TREE 471: Turning off the feed

Normally I write to you about things I have done and that have worked for me, preferably consistently for a decent amount of time to be sure I’m not blowing hot air. Today I’m writing about a thing I’m going to do.

1
Last week I boxed up our books for the move. We have so many good books made of paper I intended to read but haven’t.

2
I’ve been using social media since Facebook was still mostly university students. That’s long enough to form a considered opinion. My opinion is: I don’t really care for it. Almost all every time I look at it, I set my phone down with no recollection of what I’ve just consumed. It’s like having been drunk at a party – it was fun, I have no idea what happened and I feel a bit gross now.

1+2
I’m taking a break from the internet to read some books.

It’s not quite that simple, is it? I’ll still be using the internet for music
work
FFOREST
communicating directly with people
research
shopping
TV and films.

But I won’t be sticking my face in the feeding trough for
social media
news (the radio is good + maybe a weekly digest)
newsletters (with very few exceptions)
blogs (with fewer exceptions).

My plan is to spend six months or a year wasting my time-wasting time with my nose in a book, a bunch of books.

This kind of big change is easier and more fun when done with others. If you’re sick of the feed too, let me know. Maybe we figure it out together? If there are four or five of us, we could set up a really chill, no-pressure group chat on Messages or WhatsApp.

I bought the Penguin original Great Ideas box set about the time I started using social media. I haven’t read a single one of the 20 books. That’s where I’m starting.

See what I’m doing here? (Spotify)

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Grow slowly
Jeff