40 lines
3.5 KiB
Markdown
40 lines
3.5 KiB
Markdown
---
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title: Cutting off from Compulsive Connectivity
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date: 2024-01-24T15:11:51+00:00
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url: /posts/cutting-off-from-compulsive-connectivity/
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tags:
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- "digital minimalism"
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- tech
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draft: true
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---
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Towards the end of 2023, a growing unease prompted me to seriously evaluate my device and app usage. I found myself habitually reaching for my phone, ostensibly to "just check". Recognizing that I wasn't alone in this sentiment, I delved into the realm of digital minimalism and connected with various communities centered around this philosophy.
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The main issue that surfaced was my persistent need to stay connected— whether through Discord, iMessage, Reddit, or email. I found myself compulsively checking these apps, only to discover that I was missing out on nothing substantial. Even with the majority of notifications disabled, allowing people instant access to my time and attention started to feel very wrong.
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I wanted to cut people off, and cut myself off.
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I found the book [Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World](https://amzn.to/3UaFteI) by Cal Newport, which I can highly recommend. As with all books like this, all the methods won't work for everyone. I am choosing to implement some of the suggestions, and then going far more extreme and deciding to put my iPhone in a box outside of work hours.
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There are multiple issues which will need overcoming and I want to address them all in individual posts as I come up with proper solutions, here is the rough list so far:
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- **Watch** - I currently use an Apple Watch
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- **Phone** - Yes, the obvious iPhone replacement quest looms. But not just any replacement — a humble dumb phone dedicated to emergency calls and texts. A bold move towards essential communication without the smartphone overwhelm.
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- **Camera** - With the iPhone out of the picture, my portable camera dilemma surfaces..
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- **Music** - No iPhone, no portable music player. The silence is about to be shattered by a new rhythm, a device solely devoted to delivering musical bliss.
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- **Gaming** - Portable gaming system enthusiasts, fear not! The absence of an iPhone won't hinder the gaming experience. A new, dedicated device is on the horizon.
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- **Notes** - Joining the league of paper aficionados, I'm set to conquer the world of note-taking without the digital distractions.
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- **Reading** - I'm finally going to get a kindle I think.
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Those are the main areas to address if I want to cut my smart phone usage in the evenings and weekends.
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The first one, the watch, was actually pretty easy to address. I've always admired the retro styling of the old-school Casio watches so I picked up one of those for around £10 and have been wearing it for a week already. I haven't missed the notifications on my wrist and I really don't care how many steps I haven't taken in the day so it's really not been much of a transition.
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{{< figure src="DSCF3156.jpg" title="" >}}
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I do really enjoy wearing this strangely, it's lighter and smaller than the Apple Watch so is quite a bit more comfortable over long periods.
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Yet, a peculiar phenomenon has emerged—the phantom notifications. It's as if my wrist still expects the familiar buzz of alerts, a reflex ingrained by the smartphone era. A quirky reminder of the digital transition underway. Here's hoping that this sensation fades into the background as I fully embrace the simplicity of my new wrist companion.
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Join me on my journey as I quest for the perfect dumb phone, a reliable portable camera, a dedicated music player, and a gaming partner—all already in progress. Stay tuned for updates.
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