Consume, Create & Share: A new framework to time block

Since 2012, I’ve made it a habit to reflect on my life and goals at the end of each year 🎯. I enjoy taking the last few weeks of the year to reflect, answer thoughtful questions, uncover insights, and form goals for the year ahead. Interestingly, during this year’s review process, something new surfaced in my reflection - a fresh perspective on how I spend my time that I think could benefit students too.

I’ve grown increasingly annoyed by the gravitational pull of my smart phone 📲 . It's always within arm's reach, drawing me into endless digital consumption. Add to that the fragmented attention that comes from constant notifications, and I've realized it's harder than ever to sustain deep, focused work.

It’s hard not to notice my fragmented attention is making it more difficult to sustain focused work.

In The Anxious Generation, Jonathan Haidt explores how attention fragmentation, caused by constant digital distractions like social media and smartphones contributes to rising anxiety and mental health challenges, particularly among younger generations. He highlights how these technologies fragment our focus, making it harder to engage in deep work, sustain meaningful relationships, or feel grounded in the present. Haidt argues that the constant switching between tasks and notifications not only increases stress but also diminishes our ability to develop resilience and emotional stability. He advocates for intentional boundaries around technology use to reclaim focus and foster mental well-being 🧠

I highly recommend this book to anyone - whether you're a student, parent, teacher, coach, or smartphone user - looking to better understand the impact of digital distractions.

My Yearly Reflection: From Consuming to Creating

As part of my own effort to reclaim my focus and set intentional boundaries for using technology, I noted in my yearly review that I wanted to consume less of others' work and spend more time creating and sharing my work.

Easy to say, not so easy to do - especially when my phone is a constant reminder of other people's curated successes😕. I know social media is a highlight reel, but I enjoy the inspiration it provides. The problem is how quickly inspiration can morph into comparison - and how seamless that shift can be.

My Solution: Consume, Create, Share

To address this, I created three segments - Consume, Create and Share - to help me stay mindful of how I spend my time. I applied this framework to my time-blocking system by categorizing tasks into these segments, which keeps me intentional and focused.

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💡 In my coaching programs, I teach students how to timeblock with life categories (you can learn more about that in my course at sarahzeilstra.com Reframing time through the lens of Consume, Create and Share can be a powerful way to spend time wisely.

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“You can’t manage time, you can only spend it. So spend it wisely” ⏰

How I Apply This Framework

I wrote out my CONSUME list, which includes:

• Reading and posting on an EF coaching community board

• Online courses I'm enrolled in

• YouTube videos by people who inspire me

• Reading articles

• Listening to audio books

And because I am more accountable when I'm habit stacking (hello, ADD), I posted this list beside my treadmill. To make the most of my time, I try to consume only when I'm walking.

Next, I created my Create list and prioritized it by putting the most important task at the top. This serves as a reminder to focus on what matters most before diving into smaller tasks.

🎓 For students, this framework might look like this:

• Consume: Reading textbooks/articles, attending lectures, research, studying

• Create: Writing papers, designing projects, drawing, building presentations

• Share: Submitting assignments, presenting ideas, participating in class discussions

Next steps, actions, & takeaways

Right now, you’re consuming - reading this. Hopefully it’s providing inspiration, but now it’s time to go create something and share it...a.k.a. your homework!

Here’s my challenge for you: Look at how you are spending your time this week. Break it down into Consume, Create and Share. What do you notice? Are there ways you can be more mindful about balancing these categories?

💡Do I lose my way? Absolutely!

Do I get off track? Heck yes!

Do I keep failing forward? You bet!!!

Thanks for reading! I hope this helps you think differently about how you spend your time. If you’re ready to dive deeper, check out my live coaching program and resources at sarahzeilstra.com.

You can also book a free consultation to learn how executive function coaching can equip you with transformative strategies.