A few days ago, I started having this restless feeling, like I needed to go somewhere or do something worthwhile, right now.

I wanted to read the news, but I had already skimmed my news stories for that day, or I wanted to read, but I had already read for about an hour and a half that day, thanks to my bus rides to and from work. The only things left to do were my silly phone games, or watching TV and knitting.

Now, if you know me well, you also know that these are things I really enjoy. But something about it wasn’t tickling my giblets. I felt like I had exhausted all of my sources of entertainment. Nothing felt new, and nothing really excited me. I realized that maybe rather than consuming more, I needed to create more. Or simply get used to the feeling of not being constantly entertained (a battle in and of itself).

Then I thought a bit about how I’ve progressed along my minimalistic journey. I rarely shop, I buy enough groceries to last me a week or two, and my closet isn’t full to the brim.

All great things.

But is it possible that I replaced my physical consumption addiction with a technological one?

Technological Overconsumption

All in all, it’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s likely cheaper, keeps your mind occupied, and allows for good small talk topics when necessary.

But the goal of minimalism (for me, at least) is not to simply not buy things, or not have a lot of stuff. The goal was a mindset, a peacefulness, and a way of life that is sustainable, simple, and easygoing. If I just redirected my consumption habits to a different medium, it doesn’t really count toward my goal.

So instead of searching for something to take my attention, I let it wander. I went to bed a little earlier, and knit without needing something to keep my mind occupied as well as my fingers. Rather than digitally consume, I recognized the need, and let it go instead.

You don’t need to be glued to a screen 24 hours a day, especially considering so many of us spend eight hours there for work.

So I came up with a few ways to control the need to digitally consume:

1. Recognize the need. Feel it, embrace it. Just don’t act upon it. You’re allowed to feel however you want, but don’t let it control you.
2. Ask yourself: is it more important to entertain yourself right now, for the next hour or two, or is it more important to live the lifestyle you have been trying for?
3. Take five minutes. Time it if you have to. Five minutes to find something else important to you that you can create or learn. Even if you barely get anything done, sitting there and starting is what really counts.

I don’t think of technological consumption as a bad thing, but I do think it’s best in moderation. Put on a TV show when you can really enjoy it. Read the news stories that really interest you.

One of the hardest things to do in life is nothing.

Those five minutes you spend thinking of a better way to spend your time will drag on like no other. A 45-minute TV show goes by in the blink of an eye, but as soon as you’re left alone with your thoughts, time slows. I like to think it does that to give your thoughts a second to catch up.

We spend so much time on digital platforms, with media that we had no hand in creating, other than being the consumer the creator wants to please.

Everything in Moderation

If you’re still reading this, you’re likely looking for a little more meaning in your life, too. It’s fun to veg out in front of the TV, read all night long, or be the leader of small talk at the bar with coworkers, but it doesn’t have to consume your life.

It’s not about giving up media all together. Rather, it’s about using it in moderation, to a point where it can help you most, not to where it drags you down.