The Digital 2019 report by HootSuite and We Are Social reveals that the average internet user spends more than a quarter of their life on the World Wide Web.

The same report further shows that consumers are online an average of 6 hours and 42 minutes each day whereas mobile devices remain to be a popular mode for connecting to the digital world.

YouTube is the now the second most viewed website in the world. I am sharing  some interesting statistics about YouTube. To read more, you can visit the site here. 

• • The very first YouTube video was uploaded on 23 April 2005.
  • The total number of people who use YouTube – 1,300,000,000.
  • 300 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute!
  • Almost 5 billion videos are watched on Youtube every single day.
  • YouTube gets over 30 million visitors per day.
  • 6 out of 10 people prefer online video platforms to live TV
  • The total number of hours of video watched on YouTube each month – 3.25 billion.
  • 10,113 Youtube videos generated over 1 billion views.

These numbers are huge. You and me contribute to these numbers. It is important to acknowledge the tremendous positive impact this revolution has brought about in our lives. I have subscribed to so many channels and I really look forward to watching their videos.

The Ted talks, the motivational speakers, those super achievers who seem to give every bit of detail on how they achieved their success etc are great ways to keep oneself motivated. I watch these for hours with a pen and a book in my hand, noting down points that I want to reflect upon. The only problem being, there are days when one video leads to another and that to yet another, and then, it doesn’t stop until it is too late to start acting upon the information I have gathered.

It is indeed like a buffet of  unlimited quantity of fresh food which you get to serve for yourself. And need I say, free! The biggest question now being when do I stop?

No matter how many hours of inspiration and motivation I consume, I don’t feel productive at the end of the day. And frankly, not all of that information is actually helpful to me.

“It is good to read inspirational thoughts and watch motivating videos. It doesn’t become our reality unless we act upon it.” This is something I keep telling myself.

That brings me to an important statistic. Is there an ideal consumption to creation ratio? Can I call my day a productive one based on that ratio? Or is it okay if creation has led to consumption? I am trying to find a satisfactory answer to these questions.

My quest led me to a couple of hours of consumption. I was glad to come across the articles and videos that are a result of other people’s creation. I couldn’t have created this article without consuming their creation. Hence I will point out my most important learnings from those creators with a link to their creations.

“By simply creating more and consuming less, my bad days are less frequent and my happy days are filled with passion, joy, and overwhelming positivity.” Says Tim Ferris in his blog, The Simple Truth About Happiness.

When creation leads to consumption, the ratio remains contained. Suggests Isaac Morehouse in his blog Stop Consuming and Start Creating. 

“The problem with motivational videos is that you actually feel like you’re accomplishing something. You end up watching them for hours and then you go back to your regular routine. Sometimes you even share these videos. Your friends get all excited. Everyone’s all excited. All you’re doing is binge watching.” Very aptly put by Martin in his article, Why Motivational Videos Are Ruining Your Life. 

“Consumption is an easy play. Doesn’t ask much from us. A simple tactic to avoid the pain of our own hearts and the realities of a sinking world. But creating and making stuff for others is vital for our survival. “ Ryan J Pelton in How Is Your Consumption Versus Creator Ratio? 

And this search also lead me to my favorite YouTuber, Sadia Badiei (Pick Up Limes)  talking about her concerns about the Creation to Consumption ratio and how she tackles it in her video A Healthy Imbalance.  She talks about maintaining a ratio of >1 . Which means making sure we spend more time creating than consuming. 

I have very recently figured out the only way (for me) to maintain a healthy balance is to time my creation time.

1. I set a timer for my creation time. (One hour timer works for me)
2. This can include creation based consumption.
3. All other means of consumption is either blocked or disabled.
4. I do not overlap the random consumption and creation time. (Other than taking some notes or bookmarking a particular content if I consider it appropriate)

With a sumptuous spread of buffet readily available for us, it is important to make wise decisions. Ensuring good nutrition and avoiding indigestion are both equally important.

As creators, it is also important to add a dish or two to that buffet. Like no dish made by two different people can taste the same, every creator contributes his/her two cents to the buffet.

May this consumption lead to some good creation for all my readers!

Please follow and like us: