u/lifecollab

I'm going 30 days without tv/books/videos/livestreams/music/video games etc to see what happens when I create more space to listen to myself.

Here's the latest update :)

Day 7+8

You probably won’t believe this, but I’ve realized something totally transformative.

Rest is important.

Groundbreaking I know… but I felt that sink in on such a different way on day 8. After a super peaceful day 7 where I went on a relaxing walk, worked and played piano, I slept poorly.

This led to the strongest desire yet to just slam easy dopamine into my face.

I was down so bad I found myself wanting to scroll gifs when replying to a friend’s message.

But I didn’t, and instead found some comfort from lying down then doing yoga.

What’s interesting is that partway through, my inner world shifted, and I was motivated to work again. It showed me that when we find comfort through activities that don't suck us in, it becomes a lot easier to continue to move towards what you actually want to be doing in life.

Day 9+10

In the past two days I noticed a couple interesting changes. 

One was a heightened sensitivity to other forms of comfort.

When dealing with life's inevitable difficult emotions I found that physical touch, food, and even smell have been important ways for me to relax and find comfort. One of the days I lit a stick of incense and sat down next to it to enjoy the smell as a way to slow down.

Second was how much easier it is for me to move towards my hobbies.

Last year I rescued a perfectly fine guitar someone was throwing out and then proceeded to almost never play it. In the last few days I've been just picking it up multiple times during the day to practice a few chords.

I’ve also been playing piano a lot more too and finally finished learning a song I'd been working on for ages. Working on my hobbies has become the new version of picking up my phone when I'm bored (although that still happens out of habit).

Haven't brought either into the bathroom yet though xD

Well, that's it for my quick little update, so let me check in with you.

How much have you been listening to yourself recently?

And how could you listen just 5% more?

See you in the next one!

Cheers,
Luke

I'm going 30 days without tv/books/videos/livestreams/music/video games etc to see what happens when I create more space to listen to myself.

Here's the latest update :)

Day 7+8

You probably won’t believe this, but I’ve realized something totally transformative.

Rest is important.

Groundbreaking I know… but I felt that sink in on such a different way on day 8. After a super peaceful day 7 where I went on a relaxing walk, worked and played piano, I slept poorly.

This led to the strongest desire yet to just slam easy dopamine into my face.

I was down so bad I found myself wanting to scroll gifs when replying to a friend’s message.

But I didn’t, and instead found some comfort from lying down then doing yoga.

What’s interesting is that partway through, my inner world shifted, and I was motivated to work again. It showed me that when we find comfort through activities that don't suck us in, it becomes a lot easier to continue to move towards what you actually want to be doing in life.

Day 9+10

In the past two days I noticed a couple interesting changes. 

One was a heightened sensitivity to other forms of comfort.

When dealing with life's inevitable difficult emotions I found that physical touch, food, and even smell have been important ways for me to relax and find comfort. One of the days I lit a stick of incense and sat down next to it to enjoy the smell as a way to slow down.

Second was how much easier it is for me to move towards my hobbies.

Last year I rescued a perfectly fine guitar someone was throwing out and then proceeded to almost never play it. In the last few days I've been just picking it up multiple times during the day to practice a few chords.

I’ve also been playing piano a lot more too and finally finished learning a song I'd been working on for ages. Working on my hobbies has become the new version of picking up my phone when I'm bored (although that still happens out of habit).

Haven't brought either into the bathroom yet though xD

Well, that's it for my quick little update, so let me check in with you.

How much have you been listening to yourself recently?

And how could you listen just 5% more?

See you in the next one!

Cheers,
Luke

I'm going 30 days without tv/books/videos/livestreams/music/video games etc to see what happens when I create more space to listen to myself.

Here's the latest update :)

Day 7+8

You probably won’t believe this, but I’ve realized something totally transformative.

Rest is important.

Groundbreaking I know… but I felt that sink in on such a different way on day 8. After a super peaceful day 7 where I went on a relaxing walk, worked and played piano, I slept poorly.

This led to the strongest desire yet to just slam easy dopamine into my face.

I was down so bad I found myself wanting to scroll gifs when replying to a friend’s message.

But I didn’t, and instead found some comfort from lying down then doing yoga.

What’s interesting is that partway through, my inner world shifted, and I was motivated to work again. It showed me that when we find comfort through activities that don't suck us in, it becomes a lot easier to continue to move towards what you actually want to be doing in life.

Day 9+10

In the past two days I noticed a couple interesting changes. 

One was a heightened sensitivity to other forms of comfort.

When dealing with life's inevitable difficult emotions I found that physical touch, food, and even smell have been important ways for me to relax and find comfort. One of the days I lit a stick of incense and sat down next to it to enjoy the smell as a way to slow down.

Second was how much easier it is for me to move towards my hobbies.

Last year I rescued a perfectly fine guitar someone was throwing out and then proceeded to almost never play it. In the last few days I've been just picking it up multiple times during the day to practice a few chords.

I’ve also been playing piano a lot more too and finally finished learning a song I'd been working on for ages. Working on my hobbies has become the new version of picking up my phone when I'm bored (although that still happens out of habit).

Haven't brought either into the bathroom yet though xD

Well, that's it for my quick little update, so let me check in with you.

How much have you been listening to yourself recently?

And how could you listen just 5% more?

See you in the next one!

Cheers,
Luke

I'm going 30 days without tv/books/videos/livestreams/music/video games etc to see what happens when I create more space to listen to myself.

Here's the latest update :)

Day 7+8

You probably won’t believe this, but I’ve realized something totally transformative.

Rest is important.

Groundbreaking I know… but I felt that sink in on such a different way on day 8. After a super peaceful day 7 where I went on a relaxing walk, worked and played piano, I slept poorly.

This led to the strongest desire yet to just slam easy dopamine into my face.

I was down so bad I found myself wanting to scroll gifs when replying to a friend’s message.

But I didn’t, and instead found some comfort from lying down then doing yoga.

What’s interesting is that partway through, my inner world shifted, and I was motivated to work again. It showed me that when we find comfort through activities that don't suck us in, it becomes a lot easier to continue to move towards what you actually want to be doing in life.

Day 9+10

In the past two days I noticed a couple interesting changes. 

One was a heightened sensitivity to other forms of comfort.

When dealing with life's inevitable difficult emotions I found that physical touch, food, and even smell have been important ways for me to relax and find comfort. One of the days I lit a stick of incense and sat down next to it to enjoy the smell as a way to slow down.

Second was how much easier it is for me to move towards my hobbies.

Last year I rescued a perfectly fine guitar someone was throwing out and then proceeded to almost never play it. In the last few days I've been just picking it up multiple times during the day to practice a few chords.

I’ve also been playing piano a lot more too and finally finished learning a song I'd been working on for ages. Working on my hobbies has become the new version of picking up my phone when I'm bored (although that still happens out of habit).

Haven't brought either into the bathroom yet though xD

Well, that's it for my quick little update, so let me check in with you.

How much have you been listening to yourself recently?

And how could you listen just 5% more?

See you in the next one!

Cheers,
Luke

I'm going 30 days without any external media to see what happens when I have more space to listen to myself.

That means no shows/videos/social media/games/music/books etc.

If you want to see the full list of rules it's in the Day 0 post on my profile.

Here are my entries for days 4-6.

Day 4

Today was the first time I started craving some mindless comfort. It's clear to me that this impulse goes up intensely when I'm feeling tired. But, instead of watching a show like I normally would have, I found other ways to get some comfort. I reached out to a friend, did some yoga and went for a walk on the beach.

It was there I saw people playing beach tennis and actually made a new friend.

It showed me that not having comfort on tap is actually pushing me to connect more with the people around me. 

I also noticed food was more comforting than it usually is.

Interestingly, it feels like I’ve been doing this forever, and it’s only day 4. I think it’s definitely slowing down my perception of time.

Day 5+6 (I switched to making videos every two days because it was too time consuming).

More productivity and self-trust, that’s what I found during the last two days without external media. 

Now don’t get me wrong, it was hard at times. I definitely missed having easy comfort after a disagreement with my wife and a termite attack. 

But going through it without distractions led to an increased belief in my capability. 

It reminded me just how often we tell ourselves “I can’t handle this” by using media to avoid life.

In terms of enjoying life, I walked along the waterfront at sunset with my wife, played some basketball and painted a gift that I had been meaning to for ages. 

My commutes are now filled with idea generation and organization of my life, which I've found concentrate my energy rather than diffuse it like the external noise did.

Overall I'm continuing to feel the most engaged in my life I think I've ever been.

And as I'm sharing this to encourage others to reflect on how they do their life, let me ask:

How much have you been listening to yourself recently?

How could you increase that by just 5% more?

See you in 4 days for the next update! :)

Luke

I'm going 30 days without any external media to see what happens when I have more space to listen to myself.

That means no shows/videos/social media/games/music/books etc.

If you want to see the full list of rules it's in the Day 0 post on my profile.

Here are my entries for days 4-6.

Day 4

Today was the first time I started craving some mindless comfort. It's clear to me that this impulse goes up intensely when I'm feeling tired. But, instead of watching a show like I normally would have, I found other ways to get some comfort. I reached out to a friend, did some yoga and went for a walk on the beach.

It was there I saw people playing beach tennis and actually made a new friend.

It showed me that not having comfort on tap is actually pushing me to connect more with the people around me. 

I also noticed food was more comforting than it usually is.

Interestingly, it feels like I’ve been doing this forever, and it’s only day 4. I think it’s definitely slowing down my perception of time.

Day 5+6 (I switched to making videos every two days because it was too time consuming).

More productivity and self-trust, that’s what I found during the last two days without external media. 

Now don’t get me wrong, it was hard at times. I definitely missed having easy comfort after a disagreement with my wife and a termite attack. 

But going through it without distractions led to an increased belief in my capability. 

It reminded me just how often we tell ourselves “I can’t handle this” by using media to avoid life.

In terms of enjoying life, I walked along the waterfront at sunset with my wife, played some basketball and painted a gift that I had been meaning to for ages. 

My commutes are now filled with idea generation and organization of my life, which I've found concentrate my energy rather than diffuse it like the external noise did.

Overall I'm continuing to feel the most engaged in my life I think I've ever been.

And as I'm sharing this to encourage others to reflect on how they do their life, let me ask:

How much have you been listening to yourself recently?

How could you increase that by just 5% more?

See you in 4 days for the next update! :)

Luke

I'm going 30 days without any external media to see what happens when I have more space to listen to myself.

That means no shows/videos/social media/games/music/books etc.

If you want to see the full list of rules it's in the Day 0 post on my profile.

Here are my entries for days 4-6.

Day 4

Today was the first time I started craving some mindless comfort. It's clear to me that this impulse goes up intensely when I'm feeling tired. But, instead of watching a show like I normally would have, I found other ways to get some comfort. I reached out to a friend, did some yoga and went for a walk on the beach.

It was there I saw people playing beach tennis and actually made a new friend.

It showed me that not having comfort on tap is actually pushing me to connect more with the people around me. 

I also noticed food was more comforting than it usually is.

Interestingly, it feels like I’ve been doing this forever, and it’s only day 4. I think it’s definitely slowing down my perception of time.

Day 5+6 (I switched to making videos every two days because it was too time consuming).

More productivity and self-trust, that’s what I found during the last two days without external media. 

Now don’t get me wrong, it was hard at times. I definitely missed having easy comfort after a disagreement with my wife and a termite attack. 

But going through it without distractions led to an increased belief in my capability. 

It reminded me just how often we tell ourselves “I can’t handle this” by using media to avoid life.

In terms of enjoying life, I walked along the waterfront at sunset with my wife, played some basketball and painted a gift that I had been meaning to for ages. 

My commutes are now filled with idea generation and organization of my life, which I've found concentrate my energy rather than diffuse it like the external noise did.

Overall I'm continuing to feel the most engaged in my life I think I've ever been.

And as I'm sharing this to encourage others to reflect on how they do their life, let me ask:

How much have you been listening to yourself recently?

How could you increase that by just 5% more?

See you in 4 days for the next update! :)

Luke

I'm going 30 days without any external media to see what happens when I have more space to listen to myself.

That means no shows/videos/social media/games/music/books etc.

If you want to see the full list of rules it's in the Day 0 post on my profile.

Here are my entries for days 4-6.

Day 4

Today was the first time I started craving some mindless comfort. It's clear to me that this impulse goes up intensely when I'm feeling tired. But, instead of watching a show like I normally would have, I found other ways to get some comfort. I reached out to a friend, did some yoga and went for a walk on the beach.

It was there I saw people playing beach tennis and actually made a new friend.

It showed me that not having comfort on tap is actually pushing me to connect more with the people around me. 

I also noticed food was more comforting than it usually is.

Interestingly, it feels like I’ve been doing this forever, and it’s only day 4. I think it’s definitely slowing down my perception of time.

Day 5+6 (I switched to making videos every two days because it was too time consuming).

More productivity and self-trust, that’s what I found during the last two days without external media. 

Now don’t get me wrong, it was hard at times. I definitely missed having easy comfort after a disagreement with my wife and a termite attack. 

But going through it without distractions led to an increased belief in my capability. 

It reminded me just how often we tell ourselves “I can’t handle this” by using media to avoid life.

In terms of enjoying life, I walked along the waterfront at sunset with my wife, played some basketball and painted a gift that I had been meaning to for ages. 

My commutes are now filled with idea generation and organization of my life, which I've found concentrate my energy rather than diffuse it like the external noise did.

Overall I'm continuing to feel the most engaged in my life I think I've ever been.

And as I'm sharing this to encourage others to reflect on how they do their life, let me ask:

How much have you been listening to yourself recently?

How could you increase that by just 5% more?

See you in 4 days for the next update! :)

Luke

I'm going 30 days without any external media to see what happens when I have more space to listen to myself.

That means no shows/videos/social media/games/music/books etc.

If you want to see the full list of rules it's in the Day 0 post on my profile.

Here are my entries for days 4-6.

Day 4

Today was the first time I started craving some mindless comfort. It's clear to me that this impulse goes up intensely when I'm feeling tired. But, instead of watching a show like I normally would have, I found other ways to get some comfort. I reached out to a friend, did some yoga and went for a walk on the beach.

It was there I saw people playing beach tennis and actually made a new friend.

It showed me that not having comfort on tap is actually pushing me to connect more with the people around me. 

I also noticed food was more comforting than it usually is.

Interestingly, it feels like I’ve been doing this forever, and it’s only day 4. I think it’s definitely slowing down my perception of time.

Day 5+6 (I switched to making videos every two days because it was too time consuming).

More productivity and self-trust, that’s what I found during the last two days without external media. 

Now don’t get me wrong, it was hard at times. I definitely missed having easy comfort after a disagreement with my wife and a termite attack. 

But going through it without distractions led to an increased belief in my capability. 

It reminded me just how often we tell ourselves “I can’t handle this” by using media to avoid life.

In terms of enjoying life, I walked along the waterfront at sunset with my wife, played some basketball and painted a gift that I had been meaning to for ages. 

My commutes are now filled with idea generation and organization of my life, which I've found concentrate my energy rather than diffuse it like the external noise did.

Overall I'm continuing to feel the most engaged in my life I think I've ever been.

And as I'm sharing this to encourage others to reflect on how they do their life, let me ask:

How much have you been listening to yourself recently?

How could you increase that by just 5% more?

See you in 4 days for the next update! :)

Luke

I'm going 30 days without any external media to see what happens when I have more space to listen to myself.

That means no shows/videos/social media/games/music/books etc.

If you want to see the full list of rules it's in the Day 0 post on my profile.

Here are my entries for days 4-6.

Day 4

Today was the first time I started craving some mindless comfort. It's clear to me that this impulse goes up intensely when I'm feeling tired. But, instead of watching a show like I normally would have, I found other ways to get some comfort. I reached out to a friend, did some yoga and went for a walk on the beach.

It was there I saw people playing beach tennis and actually made a new friend.

It showed me that not having comfort on tap is actually pushing me to connect more with the people around me. 

I also noticed food was more comforting than it usually is.

Interestingly, it feels like I’ve been doing this forever, and it’s only day 4. I think it’s definitely slowing down my perception of time.

Day 5+6 (I switched to making videos every two days because it was too time consuming).

More productivity and self-trust, that’s what I found during the last two days without external media. 

Now don’t get me wrong, it was hard at times. I definitely missed having easy comfort after a disagreement with my wife and a termite attack. 

But going through it without distractions led to an increased belief in my capability. 

It reminded me just how often we tell ourselves “I can’t handle this” by using media to avoid life.

In terms of enjoying life, I walked along the waterfront at sunset with my wife, played some basketball and painted a gift that I had been meaning to for ages. 

My commutes are now filled with idea generation and organization of my life, which I've found concentrate my energy rather than diffuse it like the external noise did.

Overall I'm continuing to feel the most engaged in my life I think I've ever been.

And as I'm sharing this to encourage others to reflect on how they do their life, let me ask:

How much have you been listening to yourself recently?

How could you increase that by just 5% more?

See you in 4 days for the next update! :)

Luke

I'm going 30 days without any external media to see what happens when I have more space to listen to myself.

That means no shows/videos/social media/games/music/books etc.

If you want to see the full list of rules it's in the Day 0 post on my profile.

Here are my entries for days 4-6.

Day 4

Today was the first time I started craving some mindless comfort. It's clear to me that this impulse goes up intensely when I'm feeling tired. But, instead of watching a show like I normally would have, I found other ways to get some comfort. I reached out to a friend, did some yoga and went for a walk on the beach.

It was there I saw people playing beach tennis and actually made a new friend.

It showed me that not having comfort on tap is actually pushing me to connect more with the people around me. 

I also noticed food was more comforting than it usually is.

Interestingly, it feels like I’ve been doing this forever, and it’s only day 4. I think it’s definitely slowing down my perception of time.

Day 5+6 (I switched to making videos every two days because it was too time consuming).

More productivity and self-trust, that’s what I found during the last two days without external media. 

Now don’t get me wrong, it was hard at times. I definitely missed having easy comfort after a disagreement with my wife and a termite attack. 

But going through it without distractions led to an increased belief in my capability. 

It reminded me just how often we tell ourselves “I can’t handle this” by using media to avoid life.

In terms of enjoying life, I walked along the waterfront at sunset with my wife, played some basketball and painted a gift that I had been meaning to for ages. 

My commutes are now filled with idea generation and organization of my life, which I've found concentrate my energy rather than diffuse it like the external noise did.

Overall I'm continuing to feel the most engaged in my life I think I've ever been.

And as I'm sharing this to encourage others to reflect on how they do their life, let me ask:

How much have you been listening to yourself recently?

How could you increase that by just 5% more?

See you in 4 days for the next update! :)

Luke

I'm going 30 days without any external media to see what happens when I have more space to listen to myself.

If you want to see the exact rules I'm following, you can find the Day 0 post on my profile.

Here are my entries for days 1-3.

Day 1

Today was pretty simple. Saw clients, played ball, swam with my wife, then worked on the business.

There were a few moments of difficulty like the urge to put on music when I showered or to watch a video with lunch. And I kept picking up my phone mindlessly when I was tired from exercising.

But overall it actually wasn’t too hard.

On the positive side I felt way more present in my life. It felt like the difference between talking to someone when they are on their phone vs when they’re not. Just way more focus and clarity.

For just the first day I was pretty surprised what a difference it makes. I got much more done and even had a beautiful moment of stillness listening to the birds chirp before work.

So far, so good. Let’s see what tomorrow brings.

Day 2

I cried today.

At lunch.

I read over my journal and it opened the door to a strong feeling of sadness towards how I treated my younger self.

I share this because it’s important to understand that cutting off external noise means the space is open for stuff to come up. This can be unpleasant at times and even overwhelming.

And it can also be where a lot of healing is done. 

Outside of crying, I did do a few other things with my day. 

Helped clients, designed more of my workshop, went for a hike and played a little piano

I did feel a little hit of fomo, when I was sent some links to videos that I wanted to watch. And I had to sit with the urge to find comfort in my phone after processing the wave of sadness.

I also felt the pull to listen to music a number of times again but had to settle for the construction noises that were being made outside.

On the bright side, I’ve felt myself slow down and I was forced to think creatively to solve a problem rather than just using AI (which actually was what led to me reading my journal).

Overall, I feel calm and content after today. On to the next :)

Day 3

I noticed that music sounded more stimulating today.

My wife played some in the morning, and as strange as this is to say, it just felt more potent. I continued to miss it once she turned it off and ended up having to satisfy the craving by rapping 50 Cent to myself in the kitchen.

My creativity was flowing though, tons of ideas for content and I started writing a poem too. The lack of external input means my mind has much more time to generate it’s own ideas. 

In terms of what I did, just more work, laps at the pool, some shopping and a little birthday celebration for a friend.

One interesting note is the confusion from my friends when I told them about the experiment.

“What do you even do then?”.

Not long ago I would have thought the same thing, but since starting it, I've found that there’s actually still not enough time in the day for all the things I want to do.

Now, as the whole point of me sharing this journey is to hopefully inspire others, let me ask you two questions.

How much have you listened to yourself recently?

How could you do it just 5% more?

See you in 3 days for the next update!
Luke

I'm going 30 days without any external media to see what happens when I have more space to listen to myself.

If you want to see the exact rules I'm following, you can find the Day 0 post on my profile.

Here are my entries for days 1-3.

Day 1

Today was pretty simple. Saw clients, played ball, swam with my wife, then worked on the business.

There were a few moments of difficulty like the urge to put on music when I showered or to watch a video with lunch. And I kept picking up my phone mindlessly when I was tired from exercising.

But overall it actually wasn’t too hard.

On the positive side I felt way more present in my life. It felt like the difference between talking to someone when they are on their phone vs when they’re not. Just way more focus and clarity.

For just the first day I was pretty surprised what a difference it makes. I got much more done and even had a beautiful moment of stillness listening to the birds chirp before work.

So far, so good. Let’s see what tomorrow brings.

Day 2

I cried today.

At lunch.

I read over my journal and it opened the door to a strong feeling of sadness towards how I treated my younger self.

I share this because it’s important to understand that cutting off external noise means the space is open for stuff to come up. This can be unpleasant at times and even overwhelming.

And it can also be where a lot of healing is done. 

Outside of crying, I did do a few other things with my day. 

Helped clients, designed more of my workshop, went for a hike and played a little piano

I did feel a little hit of fomo, when I was sent some links to videos that I wanted to watch. And I had to sit with the urge to find comfort in my phone after processing the wave of sadness.

I also felt the pull to listen to music a number of times again but had to settle for the construction noises that were being made outside.

On the bright side, I’ve felt myself slow down and I was forced to think creatively to solve a problem rather than just using AI (which actually was what led to me reading my journal).

Overall, I feel calm and content after today. On to the next :)

Day 3

I noticed that music sounded more stimulating today.

My wife played some in the morning, and as strange as this is to say, it just felt more potent. I continued to miss it once she turned it off and ended up having to satisfy the craving by rapping 50 Cent to myself in the kitchen.

My creativity was flowing though, tons of ideas for content and I started writing a poem too. The lack of external input means my mind has much more time to generate it’s own ideas. 

In terms of what I did, just more work, laps at the pool, some shopping and a little birthday celebration for a friend.

One interesting note is the confusion from my friends when I told them about the experiment.

“What do you even do then?”.

Not long ago I would have thought the same thing, but since starting it, I've found that there’s actually still not enough time in the day for all the things I want to do.

Now, as the whole point of me sharing this journey is to hopefully inspire others, let me ask you two questions.

How much have you listened to yourself recently?

How could you do it just 5% more?

See you in 3 days for the next update!
Luke

I'm going 30 days without any external media to see what happens when I have more space to listen to myself.

If you want to see the exact rules I'm following, you can find the Day 0 post on my profile.

Here are my entries for days 1-3.

Day 1

Today was pretty simple. Saw clients, played ball, swam with my wife, then worked on the business.

There were a few moments of difficulty like the urge to put on music when I showered or to watch a video with lunch. And I kept picking up my phone mindlessly when I was tired from exercising.

But overall it actually wasn’t too hard.

On the positive side I felt way more present in my life. It felt like the difference between talking to someone when they are on their phone vs when they’re not. Just way more focus and clarity.

For just the first day I was pretty surprised what a difference it makes. I got much more done and even had a beautiful moment of stillness listening to the birds chirp before work.

So far, so good. Let’s see what tomorrow brings.

Day 2

I cried today.

At lunch.

I read over my journal and it opened the door to a strong feeling of sadness towards how I treated my younger self.

I share this because it’s important to understand that cutting off external noise means the space is open for stuff to come up. This can be unpleasant at times and even overwhelming.

And it can also be where a lot of healing is done. 

Outside of crying, I did do a few other things with my day. 

Helped clients, designed more of my workshop, went for a hike and played a little piano

I did feel a little hit of fomo, when I was sent some links to videos that I wanted to watch. And I had to sit with the urge to find comfort in my phone after processing the wave of sadness.

I also felt the pull to listen to music a number of times again but had to settle for the construction noises that were being made outside.

On the bright side, I’ve felt myself slow down and I was forced to think creatively to solve a problem rather than just using AI (which actually was what led to me reading my journal).

Overall, I feel calm and content after today. On to the next :)

Day 3

I noticed that music sounded more stimulating today.

My wife played some in the morning, and as strange as this is to say, it just felt more potent. I continued to miss it once she turned it off and ended up having to satisfy the craving by rapping 50 Cent to myself in the kitchen.

My creativity was flowing though, tons of ideas for content and I started writing a poem too. The lack of external input means my mind has much more time to generate it’s own ideas. 

In terms of what I did, just more work, laps at the pool, some shopping and a little birthday celebration for a friend.

One interesting note is the confusion from my friends when I told them about the experiment.

“What do you even do then?”.

Not long ago I would have thought the same thing, but since starting it, I've found that there’s actually still not enough time in the day for all the things I want to do.

Now, as the whole point of me sharing this journey is to hopefully inspire others, let me ask you two questions.

How much have you listened to yourself recently?

How could you do it just 5% more?

See you in 3 days for the next update!
Luke

I’m about to start an experiment.

I want to see what happens when I pause external input to listen to myself.

As a mental health coach, I think it’s incredibly important to experiment with ways to deepen self-awareness, so for the next 30 days I’m cutting out a lot of noise. Things like videos/podcasts/music/livestreams/games/books/news and social media.

Of course, there some exceptions. I have a wife, friends, family members and clients who I still want to listen to. I’m also allowing some content like language apps, piano tutorials and instrumentals that enable me to learn and create. As for social media, I'll just be using it to post the journey, so I won't be reading and responding to comments.

Like any good experiment, I’m starting with a hypothesis: that my feelings of peace, purpose and productivity will increase. To track whether that happens, I'll be doing journal entries each day (although I'll only post once every three days so I'm not spamming the subreddit).

Even though this experiment is ultimately just for me, I want to share my journey here in the hopes that you might feel inspired to carve out time to listen to yourself too :)

I’m about to start an experiment.

I want to see what happens when I pause external input to listen to myself.

As a mental health coach, I think it’s incredibly important to experiment with ways to deepen self-awareness, so for the next 30 days I’m cutting out a lot of noise. Things like videos/podcasts/music/livestreams/games/books/news and social media.

Of course, there some exceptions. I have a wife, friends, family members and clients who I still want to listen to. I’m also allowing some content like language apps, piano tutorials and instrumentals that enable me to learn and create. As for social media, I'll just be using it to post the journey, so I won't be reading and responding to comments.

Like any good experiment, I’m starting with a hypothesis: that my feelings of peace, purpose and productivity will increase. To track whether that happens, I'll be doing journal entries each day (although I'll only post once every three days so I'm not spamming the subreddit).

Even though this experiment is ultimately just for me, I want to share my journey here in the hopes that you might feel inspired to carve out time to listen to yourself too :)

Do you remember the movie A Quiet Place?
The one with those monsters that have like super good hearing?

Expressing your needs can sometimes feel like talking to the monster. Saying “Hey bro, I’m over here, please don’t kill me”. If trying to get our needs met led to danger when we were growing up, we learn to shut them off. Just like the characters learn to stay extremely quiet.

We abandon our needs in order to protect ourselves.

So if self care is hard sometimes because it’s difficult for you to acknowledge and advocate for your needs, try not to judge yourself for that. You’re just stuck in a protective mechanism from your past.

If you want help changing that, that’s what I and many others help people with every day. If that’s not an option, just start with acknowledging and expressing the need to yourself. I have a journalling practice that helps with this I can leave in the comments if you’d like 😊

Do you remember the movie A Quiet Place?
The one with those monsters that have like super good hearing?

Expressing your needs can sometimes feel like talking to the monster. Saying “Hey bro, I’m over here, please don’t kill me”. If trying to get our needs met led to danger when we were growing up, we learn to shut them off. Just like the characters learn to stay extremely quiet.

We abandon our needs in order to protect ourselves.

So if trying to be better has been hard because it’s difficult for you to acknowledge and advocate for your needs, try not to judge yourself for that. You’re just stuck in a protective mechanism from your past.

If you want help changing that, that’s what I and many others help people with every day. If that’s not an option, just start with acknowledging and expressing the need to yourself. I have a journalling practice that helps with this I can leave in the comments if you’d like 😊

Do you remember the movie A Quiet Place?
The one with those monsters that have like super good hearing?

Expressing your needs can sometimes feel like talking to the monster. Saying “Hey bro, I’m over here, please don’t kill me”. If trying to get our needs met led to danger when we were growing up, we learn to shut them off. Just like the characters learn to stay extremely quiet.

We abandon our needs in order to protect ourselves.

So if your mental health is suffering because it’s difficult for you to acknowledge and advocate for your needs, try not to judge yourself for that. You’re just stuck in a protective mechanism from your past.

If you want help changing that, that’s what I and many others help people with every day. If that’s not an option, just start with acknowledging and expressing the need to yourself. I have a journalling practice that helps with this I can leave in the comments if you’d like 😊