Digital Overwhelm
Pushing My Buttons On The Daily
When I was a kid, I loved watching The Jetsons. I couldn’t help laughing when George Jetson came home exhausted after a full day of pushing buttons. Pushing buttons!
My dad, a blue-collar guy through and through, would come home sweaty, covered in dust, and nursing a sore back from running the production line at a local tile factory.
Me and my dad both seemed to know early on that my future would look a lot more like George’s. I liked wearing blue, sure—but getting dirty and sweaty was not my thing. I preferred computers, books, and anything that didn’t involve grime or heavy lifting.
While my dad thrived in the analog world, I felt more at home in the digital one—even when it came in 8-bit chunks and dial-up screeches.
Fast forward to now, and I sometimes wonder if George Jetson was on to something. Because after a full day of just pushing buttons—emailing, editing, posting, replying, reposting, and responding—I can feel absolutely wiped. Maybe not physically grimy, but mentally? Fried.
THE WEIGHT OF THE INVISIBLE
The exhaustion that comes with digital work is hard to explain to someone who hasn’t felt it. You’re not hauling bricks or changing tires—but your mind is constantly racing. Tasks blur into tabs. Focus splinters across a dozen open windows.
Even when I’m not online, my brain often still is—mentally drafting posts, editing videos in my head, scrolling for inspiration, or trying to remember what I forgot to reply to.
There’s no “off” switch. Just endless updates and the creeping anxiety that if you’re not on it, you’re falling behind. It’s like drowning in a sea of pings and pop-ups while pretending you’re floating just fine.
PRODUCTIVITY VS. PRESENCE
We live in a world where experts say things like “just automate it” or “just batch it” like they’re casting a magic spell. But sometimes even the “solutions” feel like more homework.
I’ve started whole mornings determined to “work smarter,” only to end the day spiraling because I answered every email but didn’t make anything.
And for creatives, that’s the kicker: it’s not just about keeping up. It’s about making something meaningful in the middle of the flood. That takes time, space, and energy—things constantly drained by the buzz of the digital hive.
THE JETSONS GOT ONE THING RIGHT
The irony is, George Jetson was tired. Not from manual labor, but from cognitive overload. From the pressure of doing too much, too fast, all the time. Sound familiar?
These days, I smile knowingly at George’s plight. I get it now. And I try—try being the key word—to give myself permission to unplug before burnout becomes my baseline.
Sometimes that means taking a walk with no podcast.
Sometimes it means turning off comments for the weekend.
Sometimes it means letting a post go unposted, or a video go unseen, because I need to remember I’m a person first—not a machine.
At the end of the day, I didn’t want to grow up to be George Jetson. And yet, here I am. And that’s okay—as long as I remember to step away from the buttons now and then.
Keep calm and don’t work too hard, boo!
Clint 🌈✌️
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FOR YOUR (SUBSTACK) CONSIDERATION
ON THIS DAY = MAY 19
BIRTHDAYS
1795 = Johns Hopkins = American businessman and philanthropist
1871 = Walter Russell = American painter, sculptor, and author
1878 = Alfred Laliberté = Canadian sculptor and painter
1891 = John Vernou Bouvier III = American stockbroker and socialite 🌈
1895 = Charles Sorley = British Army officer and Scottish war poet 🌈
1906 = Bruce Bennett = American shot putter and actor
1910 = Grethe Jürgens = German painter 🌈
1914 = John Vachon = American photographer and journalist
1923 = Peter Wildeblood = British-Canadian writer and activist 🌈
1925 = Malcolm X = American minister and activist
1930 = Lorraine Hansberry = American playwright 🌈
1939 = Nancy Kwan = Hong Kong-American actress and makeup artist
1941 = Nora Ephron = American writer and filmmaker
1942 = Gary Kildall = American computer scientist
1942 = Michael McConnell = American activist 🌈
1944 = Peter Mayhew = English-American actor
1945 = Gee Vaucher = British artist 🌈
1945 = Pete Townshend = English singer-songwriter 🌈
1946 = André the Giant = French-American wrestler and actor
1948 = Grace Jones = Jamaican-American singer-songwriter and actor 🌈
1949 = Dusty Hill = American singer-songwriter
1951 = Joey Ramone = American singer-songwriter
1955 = James Gosling = Canadian-American computer scientist and Java creator
1968 = Kyle Eastwood = American actor and bass player
1971 = Ross Katz = American director, producer, and screenwriter
1979 = Shooter Jennings = American country singer-songwriter
1983 = Michael Che = American comedian
1992 = Sam Smith = English singer-songwriter 🌈
EVENTS
1883 = Buffalo Bill's first Buffalo Bill's Wild West opens in Omaha, Nebraska.
1897 = Oscar Wilde is released from prison and ultimately leaves England to spend his last three remaining years in self-imposed exile in France and Italy.
1911 = Parks Canada, the world's first national park service, is established.
1926 = National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is founded by the Radio Corporation of America (RCA).
1962 = A birthday salute to POTUS John F. Kennedy takes place at Madison Square Garden. The highlight is Marilyn Monroe's rendition of "Happy Birthday."
1963 = The New York Post Sunday Magazine publishes Martin Luther King Jr.'s Letter from Birmingham Jail.
1989 = Do the Right Thing premieres at the Cannes Film Festival.
1989 = Road House is released in theaters.
1999 = Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace is released in theaters.
HOLIDAYS + OBSERVANCES
PORTRAIT + QUOTES OF THE DAY
“We tried not to age, but time had its rage.”
Pete Townshend
“I was born with a plastic spoon in my mouth.”
Pete Townshend
Thanks Clint
Listening to you, I get the music
Gazing at you, I get the heat
Following you, I climb the mountain
I get excitement at your feet
Keep stepping back, shifting focus and attention. Smell the roses. Touch a tree. Look into your eyes in a mirror, smile and tell youself aloud that you love, respect and trust the man that you see. Everyday magic, dear Clint.