And thank you for writing in actual paragraphs. I am tired of posts written in a string of one sentence paragraphs, because supposedly anything more than that is considered a “wall of text” that our feeble brains cannot climb.
And my question is: is it really necessary? Or is it something we do because we think we have to, because otherwise people will forget about us, won’t hire us… or whatever idea each of us has that makes us feel we have to do something we don’t really want to?
I read less and less online; if I want to learn something, I even buy a book, second-hand if possible... I love to think about the stories it must have lived through.
And as for the self-employed or businesses... they used to get by without the internet; people hired them without the internet. I don’t know if all those people who post and post—regardless of the reason—because they depend on the algorithm to stay visible and active, actually get their money’s worth. I understand the fear of saying, ‘I’m going to stop doing this... will I lose my job? Will I sell less? Will I lose followers?’ I don’t know, it saddens me to think they have to live like that. What self-imposed pressure caused by the system. That system that wants our minds elsewhere so we don’t see what’s really happening. So we don’t think, don’t question, just watch and accept—this cycle that only makes us want more and more, and not stop, and not think about what would happen if we did...
Do you really need to do this? What would you lose if you didn’t? Is it worth it if it doesn’t really make you happy? Is money better than freedom? Do you really need that much just to get by?
Me, too. Yours are among the very few that I read. Not every post, of course, but I don't think I've read one that I didn't enjoy or that didn't make me think.
I am also so with you. JOMO is my way to live now. Enjoying various nice moments every day, especially when it's war outside (I'm in Kyiv), and quickly filtering out all kind of the noise you mentioned.
P.S. Love reading your articles here. Thank you so much!
I have saved links I file under "content I can't stand" and it's full of this stuff .. because sometimes the content is so close to being great but it's jabby, snazzy and over the top jazz hands crapola
I am a very animated person, my writing style reflects that animation (much to the chagrin of corporate email filters like grammarly)
I like the occasional bullet point for concise transmission, please gimme context and warmth though not just a formulaic slide carousel lifted directly from GPT
I scaffold my thoughts with assistance from Claude when I'm working on a piece, but it isn't my ghostwriter. I do like short paragraphs though 🤣
Thank you for that post. I hope you are not too tired after writing I am tired that often. People should write what moves them or what they find interesting but not version 0815 of everybody else. Maybe such post need a hashtag #not-attention-grabbing and #not-optimized-for-SEO
Dear Jurgen, I really resonated with the exhaustion you revealed in your post. I loved how you brought to light those sources of fatigue on different digital platforms. I try to distance myself as much as possible, disconnecting and seeking out spaces of fertile solitude and restorative rest. It's not easy. I hope you can find your own way. Sending you a hug from Caracas.
Ignoring the attention market? I highly recommend it! I was never quite engulfed in it, but there was a time, after I stopped my corporate work, where I thought about entering that space, or that I might need to enter it. I dabbled in writing on Substack and LinkedIn, which I had previously never done. But whenever I became more systematic about it, or at least made plans for that, it felt massively unhealthy. So I never took the step.
But then: I was able to "afford" that. Quite often I thought "I am so glad that I do not really need to find customers, or build a personal brand!" . The not-getting-noticed was actually emotionally unpleasant - as long as I tried. When I stopped trying, I became quite comfortable with it (again - because it was actually no different from before).
When I do write, like here and now, I don't really write to those who don't know me. Either I write to someone specifically, in response to their thoughts. Or else I see it as a repository, so that those who get to know me, be it offline, or by chance online, or through an acquaintance, can get a better impression of me, and make better decisions on whether they want to have more to do with me. That feels like a good thing to do.
So if you CAN step off, do! It may take more than two weeks to get used to it, though.
Thanks, Jurgen, for that post. It resonated very much with me. Sometimes I think: 'If you would have done your research, you would see that you don't need to sell X to me.' I'm also very tired of this stream of "news". And, in case I remember that I saw something interesting, I'm unable to find it again because of all the other stuff that's filling my timeline. In my opinion, it's a system that kills itself as it becomes less and less useful. So people start moving to another platform, where the cycle starts again...
I’m with you, Jurgen.
And thank you for writing in actual paragraphs. I am tired of posts written in a string of one sentence paragraphs, because supposedly anything more than that is considered a “wall of text” that our feeble brains cannot climb.
*sigh*
Oh God, I hate those posts. As if every pointless sentence is so deep and meaningful that it needs a whole paragraph to let it sink in.
And my question is: is it really necessary? Or is it something we do because we think we have to, because otherwise people will forget about us, won’t hire us… or whatever idea each of us has that makes us feel we have to do something we don’t really want to?
I read less and less online; if I want to learn something, I even buy a book, second-hand if possible... I love to think about the stories it must have lived through.
And as for the self-employed or businesses... they used to get by without the internet; people hired them without the internet. I don’t know if all those people who post and post—regardless of the reason—because they depend on the algorithm to stay visible and active, actually get their money’s worth. I understand the fear of saying, ‘I’m going to stop doing this... will I lose my job? Will I sell less? Will I lose followers?’ I don’t know, it saddens me to think they have to live like that. What self-imposed pressure caused by the system. That system that wants our minds elsewhere so we don’t see what’s really happening. So we don’t think, don’t question, just watch and accept—this cycle that only makes us want more and more, and not stop, and not think about what would happen if we did...
Do you really need to do this? What would you lose if you didn’t? Is it worth it if it doesn’t really make you happy? Is money better than freedom? Do you really need that much just to get by?
Thanks Berta. Great questions that I have no answer to. It's time for reflection!
I'm sure you know the answer; you might not want to face it right now, but you know it :)
That's fine, everything has its time! It'll happen!
Me, too. Yours are among the very few that I read. Not every post, of course, but I don't think I've read one that I didn't enjoy or that didn't make me think.
Thank you!
I am also so with you. JOMO is my way to live now. Enjoying various nice moments every day, especially when it's war outside (I'm in Kyiv), and quickly filtering out all kind of the noise you mentioned.
P.S. Love reading your articles here. Thank you so much!
Glad you're following me here!
I have saved links I file under "content I can't stand" and it's full of this stuff .. because sometimes the content is so close to being great but it's jabby, snazzy and over the top jazz hands crapola
I am a very animated person, my writing style reflects that animation (much to the chagrin of corporate email filters like grammarly)
I like the occasional bullet point for concise transmission, please gimme context and warmth though not just a formulaic slide carousel lifted directly from GPT
I scaffold my thoughts with assistance from Claude when I'm working on a piece, but it isn't my ghostwriter. I do like short paragraphs though 🤣
Thank you for that post. I hope you are not too tired after writing I am tired that often. People should write what moves them or what they find interesting but not version 0815 of everybody else. Maybe such post need a hashtag #not-attention-grabbing and #not-optimized-for-SEO
Dear Jurgen, I really resonated with the exhaustion you revealed in your post. I loved how you brought to light those sources of fatigue on different digital platforms. I try to distance myself as much as possible, disconnecting and seeking out spaces of fertile solitude and restorative rest. It's not easy. I hope you can find your own way. Sending you a hug from Caracas.
Thank you!
Ignoring the attention market? I highly recommend it! I was never quite engulfed in it, but there was a time, after I stopped my corporate work, where I thought about entering that space, or that I might need to enter it. I dabbled in writing on Substack and LinkedIn, which I had previously never done. But whenever I became more systematic about it, or at least made plans for that, it felt massively unhealthy. So I never took the step.
But then: I was able to "afford" that. Quite often I thought "I am so glad that I do not really need to find customers, or build a personal brand!" . The not-getting-noticed was actually emotionally unpleasant - as long as I tried. When I stopped trying, I became quite comfortable with it (again - because it was actually no different from before).
When I do write, like here and now, I don't really write to those who don't know me. Either I write to someone specifically, in response to their thoughts. Or else I see it as a repository, so that those who get to know me, be it offline, or by chance online, or through an acquaintance, can get a better impression of me, and make better decisions on whether they want to have more to do with me. That feels like a good thing to do.
So if you CAN step off, do! It may take more than two weeks to get used to it, though.
Thanks, Jurgen, for that post. It resonated very much with me. Sometimes I think: 'If you would have done your research, you would see that you don't need to sell X to me.' I'm also very tired of this stream of "news". And, in case I remember that I saw something interesting, I'm unable to find it again because of all the other stuff that's filling my timeline. In my opinion, it's a system that kills itself as it becomes less and less useful. So people start moving to another platform, where the cycle starts again...
So true. First, all is fun and casual. And then the trolls, marketers and self-promoters arrive and ruin everything for everyone. 🤷🏻