or sometimes the algorithm we need to break out of is ourselves.
One of the reasons I picked DJing as my first retirement hobby was to dive deeper into my massive music collection (1,200+ CDs). While my music consumption is mostly associated with this collection (i.e. no streaming, radio), for the last 20 years or so it’s focused on recent additions and or a handful of my favorite artists. Once I’ve replaced a new to me CD with a newer to me CD, the older disc has been relegated to the shelf where it slowly collects dust. I’m only adding music that I enjoy so it’s not like I’ll never want to hear these tunes again. They’ve just been deprioritized by the shiny new thing. And there has been another shiny new thing arriving in the mail on a continual basis. Basically, my personal music listening algorithm was permanently archiving the vast majority of my music collection never to be listened to again. Which is . . . pretty ridiculous.
So as I work on building up my DJ library, I’m methodically reviewing each artist’s discography and adding my favorite songs. Well, I was reviewing Journey today and came across this banger. And it just put the hugest smile on my face. Like how have I not listened to this song in forever? Electronic and EDM adjacent music will always be my favorite genres of music, but I should most assuredly not be depriving myself of some good old fashioned classic rock. Maybe I don’t need to hear this every day (or week if I’m being honest with myself), but never is just completely unacceptable.
So this is a friendly reminder for you to take a quick review of your own personal algorithms. Whether that be the music you’re listening to, books you’re reading, TV shows or movies you’re watching, or even the board games you’re playing with your families. It’s very easy these days to get stuck in a rut without ever realizing you’re in one. You might just be sabotaging your future enjoyment.