This is one of the hardest challenges that I'm still facing daily.

 

I strengthened this habit once before, but I started telling myself that if the content I'm consuming is "smart", it's totally fine that I don't walk in silence.

 

But it's absolutely not fine. The brain needs time to think, dammit!

 

I walk my dog early in the morning, and usually I was listening to an audiobook or a podcast, thinking that I'm reaaaaally productive. Look at all of these plebs walking outside without headphones, while I'm learning about how much elk does Joe Rogan consume at 2x speed.

 

While listening, I noticed that I would drift off every once in a while because my brain needed time to think. Thoughts would suddenly be louder than the audio, and I would have to rewind while trying to keep my focus. Usually I wouldn't retain most of the information because my brain wanted peace and silence and instead of that I gave it the Tim Ferris Ultimate Productivity Bath Routine (that's probably a thing, idk)

 

I knew that consuming content that early in the morning is harmful in the long run, but I just couldn't leave my phone at home because I was afraid of being bored and alone with my thoughts.

 

Every morning was like a wrestling match between the audio and my brain trying to plan the day, finalize some ideas, analyze past conversations and behaviors, have a minor anxiety attack about the thing I said out loud at that party in 2012, try to understand why there was a period in time when people were eating Tide pods, etc. etc.

 

I don't think that I've completely mastered this habit yet, but for the past month or so I've been walking my dog in silence for 20 to 30 minutes, and it's getting easier to leave my home without a phone every day.

 

I like that I also pay more attention to my dog. What a hilarious creature! I'm walking him 2-3 times per day for the past 5 years and I still can't get enough of his shenanigans. I'm entertained by the way he walks, sniffs, and thinks about everything around him, he's an absolute goofball!

 

I'll even catch myself thinking about ordinary things that I was too busy to notice like "Wow, that sunrise is beautiful" and "I'm so grateful that we have snow" and of course, the douchebag part of my brain kicks in like "Jeez Nicholas Sparks, how about instead of the corny thoughts we put on a tape so we can learn more about the startup life? ENTERTAIN ME!"

 

There's a time and place for audiobooks and podcasts, but I want to have at least one silent walk where I don't consume content at all.