Crowding Out Instagram

I don’t write in the morning anymore. Only on blog day. Instead, I spend the morning scrolling Instagram. 

I don’t know what this deep resistance to writing is, but it’s worrying me. It feels like a scary bodily symptom I’m choosing to ignore, hoping it will go away on its own.

Every time I open Instagram, there’s a chirp in my brain that whispers: Get off this now! Shut it down. This is bad for you, and I promptly ignore it.

Then, today, I saw an article in The Atlantic titled “This Is Your Brain on Short-Form Video” by Hana Kiros. 

Even before I read it, I knew how my brain on short-form video would be described: small, deformed, and sick.

Because that’s how it feels.

The author quotes actor Andrew Garfield (of old Spider-Man fame), saying his Instagram feed is full of “weird ceramics” and Japanese craftspeople.

I get it. Mine is full of rescue dogs and sourdough. And yours is full of whatever your kink of the moment might be.

Peter Garfield bemoans that he’s “given all those hours to nothing!”

Exactly how I feel.

I’m not writing.

I’m not reading. 

I’m giving all my hours to nothing, too.

So I start reading this article, hoping the science will confirm that my brain is indeed getting sick from Instagram and that this fact will scare me enough to quit.

But it doesn’t conclude this. 

It concludes that although we can feel Instagram is rotting our brains, destroying our analytical skills, and impeding memory, empathy, and conversational depth, there isn’t yet enough scientific evidence to prove it.

But I know by the time that evidence arrives, I’ll be too far gone, so I have to act now.

Here’s what I’ve decided to do: Crowd it out.

Crowding out is a technique I learned in health coaching.  It’s a dietary strategy that focuses on adding more healthy, nutrient-dense foods rather than obsessing over cutting out junk food. So instead of trying to cut out Instagram, I’m going to crowd it out with something healthier.

I noticed the other day that I’m way behind on my Goodreads Challenge to read 50 books this year.

I’m only up to 31. That means I need to read 19 books before the end of the year to hit my goal of 50. That works out to a new book every 5.5 days until the end of the year. 

So I’ve decided to Crowd Out Instagram with books. I can’t possibly read a new book every 5 days unless I’m reading in every spare moment. All the time I’m now spending on Instagram will have to be spent reading instead.

On September 29^th, there will be 100 days left in this year. 100 days isn’t a lot, but it’s a meaningful stretch to commit to something worthwhile. If you’re into streaks and projects like I am, this timeframe has a lot of appeal. What might you consider doing in the next 100 days to make you happier, healthier, or smarter?

Think about it and let me know in the comments if you decide to do something. You know how I love this stuff!