When the World Gets Noisy, Go Back to Basics

Happy Sunday. Quick check-in from me to you.

I don’t know about you, but over the last few weeks the world has gotten noisier, and in the noise I sometimes find it difficult to figure out what I want to write, what I want to say, and how to get it out into the world quick enough.

A lot is going on in my life, with the platform, with my business, and more. But I didn’t want another Sunday to go by without talking to you.

The world feels so loud, and noise is all around us.

It’s the noise of turning on the news and seeing people suffer. It’s the noise of people’s outrage, whether it’s performative or real. It’s the noise of my own disappointment, the critical voice in my head telling me to do more, go faster, be better.

A noisy world creates a noisy mind, and a noisy mind creates confusion.

You see, one thing about me: I’m a very clear person. I pride myself on being so decisive about what I like, how I move in the world, and what is important. But when the world gets noisy, clarity becomes evasive. I feel like I’m walking through the world with dirty glasses on. I can still see things, but everything has this film over it. My vision isn’t as sharp, and things are out of focus.

The result: I find myself more confused, more forgetful, and unable to retain information like I used to. I feel tense and stressed. Negative feelings and thoughts overcrowd the positive ones. I.e., I’m more likely to remember a video of someone “crashing out” vs. the cute kitten video I saw three scrolls ago.

Also, I find myself angry a lot.

And anger can be clarifying, but in a noisy world, I often find it does the opposite. It muddles things up and leaves you stuck in the feeling without a way out.

To combat the heaviness, I’ve been taking a step back and prioritizing a return to basics.

I’ve been going analog. I’m unplugging in two ways:

1) Less screen time.

The most obvious way I’m doing this is via social media breaks.

One trick I use is to scroll only through the accounts I actively follow. For example, on TikTok, I actively avoid my For You Page.

I only scroll through my Following feed. And if I see something that doesn’t hit me right, I immediately unfollow that person.

2) I’ve also been writing a lot.

For me, writing my thoughts down can be quite difficult. I have output dysgraphia. But when I’m journaling just for me, and there’s no one to see the mistakes or the things I may get wrong, I freely write by hand a lot.

And I’ve returned to doing that not just with writing, but with my schedule.

With everything going digital, I sometimes can’t even remember what I’m doing day to day because it’s all calendared and AI’d.

So, I’ve gone back to a paper planner. Here’s the planner that I use. This is my favorite planner at the moment, if you’re looking for one btw (it’s not sponsored).

It’s a Dailee planner. I write out my to-dos. I force myself to think about what the top priority in my life is.

What I’m getting back by going analog is ownership.

The great thing about going digital is that, when it’s done right, it takes things off your plate. A digital calendar, an assistant helping you plan your day, a really great AI automation for calendaring—these things make life easier.

But if you’re not careful, they can also accidentally take ownership and retention off your plate.

When you own something, you learn it, and you know it.

Automating everything tends to create a specific kind of passivity. You’re not as invested, and you’re not always as aware of what’s going on.

Going analog has made me a more active participant in my life in the smallest of ways.

Writing out my to-do list reminds me of what I own. The result is I retain everything better because I’ve written it down. Going analog has also made me think more.

Before, I might’ve passively delegated something to my virtual assistant or automated it via AI; now I’m having to say, wait a minute, is this even the right to-do list? Is this a good use of my time? Am I forgetting something?

It makes me more active and engaged in my own life.

I’ve also been returning to hobbies that don’t require screen time.

I read physical books. I color. I listen to records instead of listening to music on my phone. I go out more.

I purposely find joy.

For me, that means going back to basics and remembering what I love.

Music is that thing for me. Lately I’ve been listening to my vinyls with a warm cup of tea in hand, relaxing on my cozy couch.

Costs me nothing, but gives me so much joy back.

In another life, I was a singer and a musician, so I listen for the different instruments. I listen for key changes. I listen for layers of vocals and harmonies.

I force myself to go deeper.

When there’s room in my budget for me, joy might take the form of something more elaborate: This week I saw Olivia Dean in concert.

Seeing her and being present reminded me of what a privilege it is to go to a concert. What a privilege it is to dress up. What a privilege it is to see music live.

That’s what I mean when I say I’m purposely finding joy.

And finding joy on purpose is literally the work right now.

Because joy makes you kinder. Joy makes you more generous. Joy makes you more present. And it elevates everyone around you.

When you are joyful, you’re more likely to be in tune with the people around you. You have more energy to give to the people in your life that you love—your children, your parents, your family members, your partner, your friends.

And the best gift of all? Joy gives back. It gives you more space to create the life that you want.

So, this week my ask of you is: where in your life can you, practically, turn down the noise and turn up your joy?

Is it writing something you’re grateful for on a sticky note every day?

Is it listening to your favorite song, closing your eyes and truly being in the moment for the entire length of the song?

Is it calling a friend—not texting—so you can hear their voice? Or scheduling a time to see them face-to-face?

What simple, back-to-basics things can you do in your life to not let all the noise?

Let me know in the comments what you’re doing.