Killing The Cell Phone, Day 0.2 (Mindfulness Journal)
Mindfulness Journal -- May 10, 2019
Dog is chaos. I now smell like a dog and there is more and more dog hair gathering upon the corners of the house. I wake up each morning to a large dog leaping onto my bed and licking my face.
Context: My roommate found a stray dog, now it's living with us as of 5 days ago, maybe forever if we can't find anybody to return her to
It's not so bad.
As I approach starting a no-phone month, I have the same feeling I get before jumping into a body of cold water. It's intimidation for no good reason. Simultaneously to this trepidation, I feel great about not using my phone.
I'm scared to turn it off and guilty when it's on, basically. Talk about an emotional stumbling block, being so tangled over a piece of technology!
The dog is barking -- and she has a loud, piercing bark, with an element of a shriek in there. Dogs just have a way of making a ruckus every time they see a stray squirrel or some shit. It's not good for a musician and music producer, my ears are kinda my main asset.
What Are Phones For?
Back to the phone -- it seems to commoditize & commercialize every aspect of life. All of our relationships, our creativity, our hobbies and habits, they all become victim to the hungry gaping maw of the tech oligarchy.
They command a tax on our attention, manipulating us with bright lights and shiny colors to do random inane nonsense and generate a few more cents of advertising revenue. The tax grow more expensive with each new year.
don't just take it from me - take it from a leading expert on this stuff, Tristan Harris:
I don't want to be downgraded. To paraphrase an idea from a CrimeThInc essay, we should use tools as extensions of ourselves, not use ourselves as extensions of the tools. Are you using, or being used by, the cell phone?
What This Project Means To Me
When we suggest that phones are bad, it can be mis-characterized as an anti-technology perspective. I hope it's clear by now that I am very pro-tech, BUT, I also believe in balance.
I see this project as a form of pro-health, even pro-freedom thinking. Reclaiming my attention and my focus. My time and energy are mine, not Silicon Valley's, and I intend to use them how I think is best.
The project starts soon - I'm thinking it'll be a month from May 15 to June 15 - more info on the specifics is coming in tomorrow's post.
What I'm Listening to Today: Hop Along- Texas Funeral
"My time and energy are mine, not Silicon Valley's, and I intend to use them how I think is best." So true... Only you can be responsible for your own freedom.
If only it was easy! At least I'm trying
Hey Matt, I have a practical question for you... Are you using any kind of blocker for your phone? How do you measure the time that you're using it?
I'm turning it off! I only turn it on for 20 minutes, and then I turn it off again. So if anybody tries to call or text me about anything, I have no way to see it until later.
Also I think iPhones automatically measure how much screen time you spend per day... and it can be shocking... I saw 3+ hour average some weeks.