One action can have a huge impact
How I'm taking back control of my content consumption, what I'm embracing and letting go of in my reading & life
Every year, at the end of the year, I take time to reflect on what worked and what didn’t. I don’t have set questions, I typically just spend several days thinking and journaling about what I enjoyed, what surprised me, what did I feel drained my energy, what did I feel were my successes, what did I want to do or plan to do but didn’t- and why do I think that’s the case, etc. This reflection applies to my reading and my life in general. Books and reading are such a huge part of my life and my job that it’s not possible for me to think about what worked in 2023 without thinking about both.
And intricately tied to books and reading is social media- I have spent SO MUCH time thinking about social media’s place in my life. Some of the questions I considered were: what does it really do for me? Am I actually happy with any of it? Do I want to jump on the “leave Instagram” train that so many other creators seem to be riding on? What can I keep and what can I let go of? I’m happy to say, I landed on some answers that have led to me taking concrete actions that I know will positively impact my relationship with social media specifically, but in general will also guide the content I consume all year long. And it starts with my words of the year….
My words of the year
Every year for the last few years I start the year off with a word that I want to guide me for the year. I’ve never found that I stick to resolutions and I wanted my word to be easy enough to remember and that could be a reminder of something I wanted to accomplish for the year. But also, something that reflected what I wanted to work ON all year long. Last year my word was consistency and this year two words came to me that felt perfect for what I want in my life this year - Radical Simplification
Last year was overall just too busy! I had too much “stuff” in just about every area of my life and I want to radically simplify things in 2024. How will this look for me? I’ve zeroed in on several ways I want to radically simplify my life and I’ve already started implementing actions- I think this action step is key - I have a lot of good intentions but taking action on them is most important. And the best part of having these words to guide me- I will be coming up with new ways to radically simplify as the year goes on! For now, here’s how I’m taking action- in my life in general and my reading life in particular -and allowing myself to lean into those two words…
Reading Simplified
I will not be updating/inputing my books read into Goodreads. I’ve basically left Goodreads (I still have a profile) and use The Storygraph to track my reading and have set my account to private. I don’t find that I need the social aspect of these platforms, but I still want to track my reading in real time. Also, I’ve found that reading too many reviews/seeing ratings before I read a book impacts my expectations too much
I’m decreasing my audiobook consumption. I love audiobooks, they’ve enhanced my reading life so much, but I feel that my ears need more breaks and I need more AirPod free time in my life. Not listening to audiobooks as much as I have these last few years will mean more time reading on my Kindle and in print- actions that will force me to slow down and to engage with my books and reading in a different way- goals I have for myself this year! This also means less multitasking and I hope less feeling scattered.
Less looking around the proverbial book weight room to see what everyone else is reading, how they’re reading, what they think etc. This is basically me focusing more on something I love to do- research books! I want to spend more time choosing and reading books that sound good to me, ones I have found on my Google research rabbit holes, and ones I have no idea as to whether anyone else liked them or not. I also plan on reading how I want to read and that means continuing to DNF (not finish) books with abandon, letting my mood dictate my reading for the most part, and challenging myself based on what I want from my reading, not because others have said it’s what I “should” be doing
Social Media/Content Consumption Simplified
This is the biggie for me- and from what I’ve been reading, social media consumption is something a lot of you are also grappling with and changing this year. For me, there are many aspects of social media that I enjoy, so I’ve decided to double down on what I enjoy most - and let go of what isn’t serving me or bringing me joy.
If I did nothing else to embrace radical simplification this year, this ONE ACTION would be enough to greatly improve my mood/outlook when I pick up my phone and open a social media app. And that is- unfollowing, deleting, and unsubscribing! I know that’s technically three actions but I’m lumping them together because little by little, day by day, I’ve been taking time to do all three of these actions. I’ve decided that I want to stay on Instagram (although I can certainly see the appeal of leaving)- I get a lot of joy out of relationships I’ve made there and I think it’s still a great place for people to find out what content I’m putting out into the world. One of my main intentions this year is to bring value to people and I think I can still do that on Instagram. So the big question I asked myself - how can I make it work for me? How can it be a place that brings me more joy and less frustration? The answer for me is to make the algorithm work for me! I want to SEE accounts that bring me joy, help me learn, encourage me, entertain and inspire me and in order to see those accounts I’m unfollowing (or muting) accounts that no longer serve me for one reason or another. I think it’s important to acknowledge the fact that it’s not personal, and it doesn’t have to be permanent. I can refollow any account I feel I miss and start following new accounts that give me what I want. How I’m doing this? - I’m taking the time to really look at every account I follow and if it doesn’t fulfill what I’m looking for right now in my feed or stories then I’m unfollowing or muting. I think it’s easy to forget, we have a CHOICE in who and what we follow as far as the content we consume and I want my Instagram feed to reflect what most serves me at this point in my life. And the great thing is, this can be ever changing. But for now, by unfollowing with abandon I’m making the algorithm readjust and show me more of the content that I want to see. I’m also taking the time to hide ads which let’s face it ads are a pain but if i’m going to keep getting them I at least want them to be things I might actually want or need
Deleting Twitter off my phone. I didn’t delete my account (yet) but I don’t need this reminder on my phone
Deactivating my Threads account removing app from my phone- I never used it so it’s one less social media app to think about
That leaves me 2 main social media platforms- 1) Instagram which is still a place I enjoy seeing books, chatting with others about books and reading and seeing amazing animal videos and 2) Substack - I love it here and I especially love Notes!
Unsubscribing from email lists- now this can be- and is - a bit tedious but I’ve been taking the time to unsubscribe from any unwanted marketing emails (there’s a ton) and any newsletters I’ve signed up for that no longer serve me. I’m confident the extra time it’s taking me to locate that tiny “unsubscribe” button on emails will be worth it. I’m taking charge of what comes into my email inbox and it feels GOOD! I’ve recently heard about Unroll Me so I might sign up for this free service to streamline the process a bit.
Unsubscribing from podcasts I no longer listen to
Life Simplified
Good enough cleaning - I’m a perfectionist and tend to get bogged down in thinking things around the house have to be thoroughly cleaned to be cleaned and that it all has to be done at one time. I’m embracing doing a little bit here and there and the concept of a “good enough” clean
Doing exercise I enjoy and keeping it simple - walking, some strength training and T-25 with Shaun T
Sticking with the skincare system I know works and not being tempted to buy new products just to see if they’re better - if it’s not broke, don’t fix it is my motto with skincare:)
Less time with AirPods in my ears and more time in silence, I want to think deeply on a more regular basis
Making my print to-be-read shelves shoppable- this means continuing to rotate out books I no longer want to read and keeping/adding books I’m most excited to read to my print bookshelf.
A Few Nonfiction Books I’ll Be Browsing As Guides for These Goals/Intentions
Deep Work by Cal Newport - A mix of cultural criticism and actionable advice, Deep Work takes the reader on a journey through memorable stories-from Carl Jung building a stone tower in the woods to focus his mind, to a social media pioneer buying a round-trip business class ticket to Tokyo to write a book free from distraction in the air-and no-nonsense advice, such as the claim that most serious professionals should quit social media and that you should practice being bored. Deep Work is an indispensable guide to anyone seeking focused success in a distracted world.
Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout by Cal Newport (out March 5) - a groundbreaking philosophy for pursuing meaningful accomplishment while avoiding overload
The Universe Has Your Back: Transform Fear to Faith by Gabrielle Bernstein - how to transform your fear into faith in order to live a divinely guided life with confidence
How to Get S*hit Done: Why Women Need To Stop Doing Everything So They Can Achieve Anything by Erin Falconer - Women live in a state of constant guilt: that we're not doing enough, that we're not good enough, that we can't keep up. If we're not climbing the corporate ladder, building our side hustle, preparing home-cooked meals, tucking the kids in at night, meditating daily, and scheduling playdates, date nights, and girls' nights every week, we feel like we're not living our best lives. Yet traditional productivity books--written by men--barely touch on the tangle of cultural pressures that women feel when facing down a to-do list. Now, Erin Falconer will show you how to do less--a lot less.
What are your thoughts about anything I’ve talked about today? Do you have your own words, goals or intentions for 2024? Are you making any changes big or small to social media this year? Let’s chat in the comments!
Thank you so much for sharing this, Renee! I hadn't really thought, until reading this now, about muting more of the accounts I follow on IG - what a simple solution! I always hesitate to unfollow certain accounts (I might want to come back to them?), but I forget about the mute option. Additionally, I, too, have begun savagely unsubscribing to emails that I am tired of seeing - newsletters and others (that I don't even remember how I'm getting them) and it has been so wonderful!
I love the idea of being more intentional about creating your space on IG by removing or muting accounts that aren't serving you. The algorithm is frustrating at times but I too have loved the friendships and information and book talk I gather online. It's another circle of friends.