"I should have spent more time on social media"
"I should have spent more time on social media"
Today I completed my 200th lesson in a row in Spanish on the Duolingo app. And then I deleted the app.
There's nothing wrong with the Duolingo app. It's fine. I don't know that anyone has actually learned to speak a whole language just from Duolingo. My guess is no. I started taking Spanish lessons on it after I read the amazing book The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo, which does a great job of translating the Spanish organically, but it made me think about how I'd like to know more Spanish so when I encounter it in a book, I have a better sense of what I'm reading and how to pronounce it.
I suppose I have that now. I can say things like "My family is big" or "My dog wants to study Portuguese at the university."
Every morning I would sit down and complete two Spanish lessons, because this little owl told me to. And at first it was fine, but after a while it felt like "Screw off, little owl!"
You may have noticed that everything is terrible right now. (In the news, I mean. That little owl is mostly an upstanding citizen.) (Mostly.) I find myself having an even harder time focusing than usual. I check the news and social media, just to see what terrible thing is happening now. Meanwhile, I have work to do, writing hilarious and joyful books for children.
I don't know about you, but I am not creatively inspired by a Twitter feed full of anxiety and horror. Nor, frankly, am I creatively inspired by sitting down first thing in the morning to learn Spanish to keep up my "streak."
In the old days, like maybe three months ago, we could avoid distraction by using Freedom to block the internet and being determined. In 2020, The Year of the Clorox Wipe, you have to be a little more aggressive with preserving your creative inspiration.
I was talking with my hilarious and insightful friend Bob Shea. He has a new newsletter, which you should absolutely subscribe to. It's all about trying new things. Bob and I were talking about being more distracted than usual, and he said, "There's only one of us, Julie." Then he asked about whether we want to be the authors on social media all day, or the authors writing amazing books. And maybe you used to be able to do both, but right now, you really have to pick one.
I'm consciously creating and consciously consuming. I'm telling myself that if I go on social media, it has to be for a purpose, either to post something specific, connect with someone specific, or with the express purpose of taking a break (and that break is timed, so I only have five minutes). If I hit a wall with my work and I need to do something different, I stand up and do something analog. I go for a walk, or I sit on the couch and read. I look at cartoon books that I used to read in high school and college, and which have been waiting on my shelf all this time. I doodle. I bake.
It's helpful to know when your most productive time is, so you can plan your work time. I work best in the morning, so that's when I should be writing, not learning Spanish from an app.
Everything's a mess right now. It feels like we need to take some control where we can. So I'm done with keeping up with a streak because an app is gamified to encourage me to stay on it. I'm done with staring at social media if I've got better things to do.
There's only one of me. And you know that joke about how no one says "I should have spent more time at the office" when they're on their death bed? The 2020, Our Year of Bulk Toilet Paper, version of that is: "I should have spent more time on social media." There are times to rest, sure, but make sure your "rest" isn't actually causing you more anxiety and draining your creative inspiration. There's only one of us, as Bob says.
So I deleted Duolingo. Apologies to that little owl (¡lo siento!), but I'm sure he'll understand.
Wash your hands!
My new favorite hand washing guidance comes from Lucy Knisely. I printed her graphic, and Ramona keeps it in her pocket, and it's the one that I go through in my head as I'm washing my hands. I hope you've all been washing your hands!
Wash your hands.
Last month I was lucky enough to get to see the Portland Stage "Sing Me a Story" production of No Boring Stories. It was full of fun and joy and catchy songs, and here is a video of my favorite of the catchy songs, Carrot Raisin Salad Sandwiches.