Creation To Consumption Ratio

Recent statistics show that an average person consumes about 10.5 hours of media per day - watching movies, shows, surfing the internet, social media, listening to the radio/podcasts, playing with an app & much more.

In a world where zillions of bytes of content is created every single day, we are bombarded with options screaming for our attention.

The world’s consumption engine is led by - Youtube, Netflix, Tiktok, Instagram…

Consumption is convenient - streaming your favorite shows with no commercials, and on your own timetable - what could be better.

Creation is stopped before it could even get started because it is hard and it requires effort, focus, motivation & determination.

When you create you have to fear failure, ridicule, or criticism, you hold yourself back as that could leave you feeling bad about yourself.

Creation = Work &

Work = something to be avoided.

There are only two main reasons we consume

1. It is useful &

2. It makes you happy

After a certain point the more you consume the lower the returns from the new content - less fun, less enjoyment, no happiness & not useful either

I call this the “Blue Dot” level

- don’t feel +ve after consuming more

- Seen/heard/tasted all of this before

- Cribbing & complaining about creators

- Missing the “good old days”

- Losing curiosity

- Feeling down

If you have lost interest in what you are consuming, you have reached the “Blue Dot”.

What do the most successful & intellectual people have in common? Do we look up to people who are constant consumers or passionate creators?

Coincidentally wealth also needs to be created!

• Recognise Consumerism - marketing is oriented towards one thing – making you believe that consumption will make you happy & successful. No iPhone, movie, book, car, dress, bag or shoes can make you happy/successful.
• Track your time - Watch where you you spend time and track it like you track you expense, understand the spend patterns & budget for important things
• Rule of 10 - When starting a new activity/project, commit to 10 attempts and don’t analyze the results of these first 10 attempts - That’s your buffer to iterate, learn & begin.

• You Vs. You - You don’t need another productivity app, another book, another video, the only thing that ruined your plans in the past was your own resistance.
• Short-term planning - Plane the progress in short sprints, here’s a frame works that can be used. Create Something – Ship it – See the Real Feedback – Adapt – Repeat
• Time & Place - This really helped me - Schedule some time time and decide a space for constructive deliberate reading. The combination of fixed time & space helps overcome the resistance and helps in building a habit.