Do, do, do. Don't Feed the Nothing.
Confronting my addiction and sharing something vulnerable.
I like pretty things.
Antique furniture with puppy chew marks.
Considered colour palettes.
100% cotton clothing made to last.
Smooth paper in a hand-bound notebook.
I like looking at pretty things and I like having pretty things around me. I believe this to be a virtue.
"The pursuit of truth and beauty is a sphere of activity in which we are permitted to remain children all our lives."
Albert Einstein
I am also 26, work 37.5 hours per week on a computer, and got my first iPod Touch when I was 11. That is to say: I am glued to a screen.
Let me paint a picture for you.
My work day starts at 7:30 AM sharp and ends at 4:20 PM on. the. dot. I sit in my little cubicle and type on my little keyboard. Insert tiny violin [here]. Some lunches I knit, and other days, I don my coat and wade through the sea of businesspeople and tourists, letting my mind wander to new weaving projects.
A few more hours of work, then, I get home.
The exhaustion hits hard. There is dinner to cook (30-60 minutes), I should at least get out of my office clothes and wash my face (15 minutes), and of course, get packed up to do it all again tomorrow (15 minutes).
Finally, I can indulge in the creative pursuits I have been daydreaming about all day! I look at my loom. I look at my knitting.
I pick up my phone.
Cue the doom scroll. Sound familiar?
Hi, My name is Maja, and I am an Instagram Addict.
I am going to share something vulnerable with you. Between November 3 and November 10, I spent nearly forty (four-zero!!) hours on my phone. Yikes.
I had already tucked Instagram into the App Library. That is where those friendly rounded icons go when you remove them from your home screen. “Out of sight, out of mind,” I thought. It worked about as well as putting a cookie jar on top of the fridge to prevent little hands from sneaking a midnight snack.
I needed a different strategy.
Inspired by the likes of Louise Stigell, Amelia Hruby, and Seth Werkheiser, I deleted Instagram. Look at that difference!
I gained a whopping 12.5 hours back in my week. Is it where I want to be? No. I still spent over two full working days on my phone in one week. I still picked up my phone 85 times today. But I am moving in the right direction, and it feels good.
What Am I Doing Instead?
The science of Behavioural Substitution suggests that kicking an undesired habit can be easier if you replace the unwanted behaviour with a preferable one. This makes intuitive sense to me. If I would have previously scrolled Instagram for two hours, and now try to sit staring at a wall—well, I will probably pick up my phone, won’t I?
In The Fun Habit, Mike Rucker suggests developing a “fun list”: your personalized inventory of fun activities for when decision fatigue or overwhelm make it difficult to think of what you want to do.
I have not had time to develop my “fun list.” (So where was I finding the time to scroll Instagram??) Instead, I observed what I did in the real world this week, in place of Feeding the Nothing:
I touched fibre 6 out of 7 days. (I have a goal to Touch Fibre every day.)
I picked up my drop spindle after letting it sit idle for a couple of months.
I watched the Mayne Island Little Theatre production of Emily: Artist, Poet, Singer! And I stuck around for a wicked after-party of dancing and good food.
I wrote this Substack newsletter.
My partner read to me before bed. (We are trying Bukowski for a second time. Tough read.)
With that… if you want to look at some pretty things, you can find my portfolio at the button below. And as I am a mere mortal, you need not worry about falling into another infinite feed vortex.
Take good care,
What has been inspiring me lately.
Thank you, Seth, for your thoughtful response to my question about the benefits of Substack versus stand-alone blogging platforms like Pika—particularly for those of us just getting started.
I borrowed The Fun Habit audiobook, by Mike Rucker, from my local library. It has been a paradigm shift. For a long time, I felt like I already had all the "tools" to work on my mental health—I journal (though irregularly), take time to ground myself, and allow space for big feelings when they arise. But this book has introduced me to a whole new toolbox, and it's all about something I have not been prioritizing: joy!
Ailbíona McLochlainn's knitwear patterns embody a mature, thoughtful sense of design. Her weekly newsletter, NUACHT CNIOTÁLA, landed in my inbox this morning, and I cannot wait to dive in. The opening line? “That rare gift, of knowing when we are happy.” Yes, please!
Thank you for being here. If you enjoy my ramblings, please consider subscribing.
If you are interested in collaborating, please connect via email at hi@majalampaweaving.ca.
Find more photos of my work in my portfolio by clicking the button below.
Oh my goodness this is delightful! So glad you’re gaining hours back by deleting Instagram :))))