I'm doing tasks based off albums- hear me out.

I think I have officially hit the point in my life where I am so busy that to be able to enjoy anything, I must be doing something. To simply sit and do nothing (and oh boy, do I truly love to do that), doom scroll on my phone and drool on my chest and retain little to nothing, if anything at all of value. 

My Fiancé recently reminded me that apparently, using music as a general measurement of time is not a normal thing to do. (it takes a playlist on average of 138-231 songs depending on the genre mix to visit him). I however disagree with the notion it isn't a normal way to segment time- so I present to all of you not only a way to (hopefully) not doomscroll on your phone for hours while you have dirty dishes in your sink... But to also enjoy more music, from more musicians, in a way I feel is more meaningful. Or at least more productive. 

Averaging out (not actually, more of a vibe check than anything else), most albums I listen too rang from 45 to 60 minutes. Variation in between for the occasional EP, or genres that are just shorter in the song dept. 

For me, that means one album is just about the right amount of time to cook dinner. Another to do a basic reset on the house, and maybe a few shorter singles or general playlists to fill in any gaps of going out and doing some gardening, watering the lawn, or whatever the hell else having a home has me doing on a random Tuesday afternoon. 

Don't get me wrong, I'll throw a podcast, or a good video documentary on YouTube when I need something different on the ears. But, with the rise of streaming and viral songs, choosing the next hit single or 'highlight' from an album- I've become fatigued of the constant hopping my playlist normally brings. 

Popping on the entirety of an album, it kicks me HARD back to the days of putting a CD in my Hannah Montana  sticker covered DVD player and listening to the entirety of 'That's The Spirit' by BMTH for the first time. 

It also gives me the opportunity to listen to songs I A) completely forgot about because they aren't in playlists or the radio, or B) aren't played in the concert setlists. 

I fell a bit down the rabbit hole of 'you can't enjoy music unless you are only actively listening to the music', and let me be frank, I have too much shit going on to do that any more. If I'm going to make a bunch of changes in my life, limit my screen time, make sure all of the irons I have in the fire are staying hot, and maintain some semblance of sanity- I need to find enjoyment in the menial tasks I do and despise. 

The dishes? Hate them. I should probably mop my floors more than I do, and check the filter on the A/C vents. And while doing so- I'm going to listen to full albums from artists I'm interested in. 

This is a bit of a segway- but I've set a screentime alert on my phone as if I'm a unruly adolescent to not only help with the mindfulness of the time I spend online ( a lot ) and to be more intentional with what I am doing & how I am consuming content. Everything has been optimized to be EXACTLY what I want, and the moment I'm not vibing with a song I skip it. 

I'm trying to live a bit slower. Becoming more mindful of what I am doing and enjoying the process of doing such versus constantly looking at the way to optimize, do better, cut more out just to get to the 30 second segment of a song I discovered the band from on TikTok and skip it after I've gotten past it. 

So, that's what's on my mind. I'm listening to albums. I'm trying to scroll less, and also- I'm back on my tumblr era formatting BS. Check out this cd gif I found of a Shrek movie.