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Thread: How do all of you take on keeping your technology/digita simple and distraction-free?

  1. #1
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    How do all of you take on keeping your technology simple and distraction-free?

    First off, hello all! I am new here, but have been an essentialist much of my life whether I knew it or not years ago. I simply never understood everyone's obsession with constantly purchasing stuff they did not need. I am 37 years old and live in West Michigan. I work in critical transportation infrastructure, performing the federally required inspections, troubleshooting, and repair of railway signalling and grade crossing apparatus. I found this forum after being on Reddit for years, recently realizing how toxic it has become, and yearning for the old-fashioned, slower-paced message boards of the 90's-00's.

    Now, for the question in my post title: How do all of you take on keeping your technology/digital life simple and distraction-free and how has it improved your life?

    For me personally, I have taken great steps to keep my technology distractionless and stress free.

    I own only a couple devices: an iPhone X, a Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Extreme, and a RaspberryPi powered "Nintendo GameBoy" (Retroflag GPi) for occasional vintage entertainment from my childhood when the rare urge strikes. My entire digital footprint only spans 23GB of data. My phone only has a very small selection of apps that I use on a daily basis which are: Photos, Camera, Overcast, Apple Music, Apple Wallet, Discover Bank, Outlook, Firefox, Lutron RadioRA2 Control app (for my home integration), Phone, and iMessage, with any stock apps that cannot be deleted hidden in a folder on the second homepage. That is it. Here is a screenshot of it:
    IMG_0200.jpg

    I have absolutely NO social media accounts, ALL notifications and background data are turned off on my devices (with exception of the phone app, and iMessage for specific contacts).

    I use my phone maybe an hour per day total, and my friends and family know that I may not respond to a text message for sometimes hours or even a day. I try to answer phone calls from friends/relatives promptly, but only wen not focusing on something else, or when out with others. I prefer to be contacted in this order: In Person, Voice Call, E-Mail/Text Message.

    How has this all improved my life? I have found that my attention is not stolen by meaningless social networks, and that my personal relationships are far more meaningful. When I catch up with a friend in person or call them on the phone, we always have these vibrant, interesting conversations since there is so much to catch up on (as opposed to being on social media where you are constantly drip-fed every detail of each others lives each waking moment, thus resulting in nothing new to learn about). My attention span has also GREATLY improved since leaving social media several years ago; I am no content with both the exciting moments, and the boring moments in life. It is almost as if there was a brain-fog and it has lifted. I have also noticed that I enjoy the small things in life now when out and about. For instance, instead of being glued to my phone while walking out in nature, I have instead found myself on more than one occasion just simply becoming totally captivated by watching birds for an hour, or watching the water flow through a stony stream. In all aspects it seems as though life has slowed down considerably and for the better.

  2. #2
    Senior Member catherine's Avatar
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    Hello, and welcome, JLB!

    Interesting you talk about "digital minimalism" because you are correct--it does sap energy and time from other more meaningful pursuits.

    I'm currently undertaking a self-mastery program and one of their key practices is minimizing technology. They recommend what they call "digital sunsets" (I believe that term was coined by Cal Newport who wrote the book Deep Work.). A digital sunset is the practice of turning off all technology an hour before going to bed.

    I am just getting to that part of the program, so I'll let you know how it goes! I'm a bit of a tech addict, but I am interested in changing my ways so that I can be fully present in the moment.
    "Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it--every, every minute?" Emily Webb, Our Town
    www.silententry.wordpress.com

  3. #3
    Senior Member Teacher Terry's Avatar
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    I have always preferred in person meeting versus technology. Now of course I am keeping in touch by the phone with people. I do have facebook but don't go on it a lot.

  4. #4
    Senior Member razz's Avatar
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    Welcome!

    My one choice was to use wifi for almost everything including digital phone, internet, email, bills payment, webinars, texting, streaming, music, all news other than a weekly magazine that I give to my library. I do have an iPhone for my contact list, calendar, photos, weather report, library ebooks and other similar uses and shared with my Macbook. I turn these off at night or any time of the day for however long I wish and, often, this is for most of a day to give myself a rest.
    I do use my digital phone to make calls to friends and family on a regular weekly basis.

    In thinking about your question, I just realized that by simplifying my technology, I have contained my distractions.

    While I have a TV and radio, I rarely use them these days.
    As Cicero said, “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.”

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    Senior Member SteveinMN's Avatar
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    Welcome to the forum, J!

    It always has interested me that so many people -- particularly people who prefer to live simply -- consider digital technology the source of so many of society's ills. I certainly see that in the reddit simple living groups and, frankly, I see it fairly often here.

    I would love to say that every encounter I have with family and friends in person is a deep, sparkling interaction with a fellow human being. (Maybe I just need a better family and friends.) I might surprise people by writing that I've explored some very deep relationships over the years via email. My take is that humans have always found a way to distract themselves. Before there were cat videos there were broadcast TV shows and movies. Before there were blog sites there were tabloid newspapers and pulp fiction. And I have to believe that, before all of that, not every story told around a campfire rose to the level of "Canterbury Tales".

    As someone who could be considered a "digital native" (I've been around computers and telecommunications since I was a teen; very uncommon given my age) I've always seen digital technology merely as an amplifier of peoples' best and worst. I have found that not being the master of my own digital technology is as unhealthy as not being the master of how much liquor I drink or how often I go shopping or not being discerning in who I hang around with.

    I have a few social media accounts. They are populated by people I would associate with in real life. But social media and digital technology give me a greater "reach" to find and associate with people who are interested in what I'm interested in -- interests I'm unlikely to learn about merely by talking (even deeply) with their friends. Even this forum is a form of social media, so I think it behooves us to be specific about which particular forms of social media we want to denigrate.

    Social media keeps me up to date on what is going on in the lives of my family and friends. Maybe it's a trickle, but sometimes it's a very meaningful trickle. And that trickle is better than trying to schedule a live conversation with some folks, especially those who don't live anywhere nearby. Social media has taught me how to repair broken items in my home rather than live with them broken or buying a replacement or paying someone who learned how to fix it it before I learned how. Social media has supported me in my journey in living simply, knowing that I'm not the only one who wants to live smaller and more meaningfully even if I don't know anyone else in my neighborhood who wants to live this way. Social media also has shown me far too many cat videos, but that can be fixed: mute/snooze/ignore/unfollow -- magic commands!

    I'm not saying there's the same joy in meeting a good friend in person and enjoying a lunch or a walk together as there is in a "virtual lunch". But, especially these days, there's joy in being able to see that person on a screen for that. It's a blessing to be able to follow my neighbor's battle with cancer without always having to figure out a "good time" to call them to ask how they are doing or to burden them with an unexpected visitor.

    I believe it's possible to live a happy digital life. But it requires discipline, as so much of the rest of life does. Technology -- even social media -- is not to blame here. Do what you have to do to live simply. But I don't find a digital presence incompatible with living simply or with being able to concentrate on what matters to me. It is merely an amplifier.
    Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome. - Booker T. Washington

  6. #6
    Senior Member razz's Avatar
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    Good explanation, Steve. I suppose the trick is to find the amount that meets one's needs as with everything else in one's life.
    As Cicero said, “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.”

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    Quote Originally Posted by catherine View Post
    They recommend what they call "digital sunsets" (I believe that term was coined by Cal Newport who wrote the book Deep Work.). A digital sunset is the practice of turning off all technology an hour before going to bed.

    I am just getting to that part of the program, so I'll let you know how it goes! I'm a bit of a tech addict, but I am interested in changing my ways so that I can be fully present in the moment.
    Thank you for the warm welcome!

    I am actually working toward something similar. Unfortunately I cannot leave my phone out of the room or turned off at night since I am on-call 24/7 in case of emergency, but I have been working toward shying away from using my phone after 8-9pm each night (I would occasionally browse random Wikipedia articles in the evenings once I hopped in bed, and began to noticed myself getting sucked down a rabbit hole of information). I have certainly noticed myself getting a bit better sleep.

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    Quote Originally Posted by SteveinMN View Post
    Welcome to the forum, J!

    It always has interested me that so many people -- particularly people who prefer to live simply -- consider digital technology the source of so many of society's ills. I certainly see that in the reddit simple living groups and, frankly, I see it fairly often here.

    I would love to say that every encounter I have with family and friends in person is a deep, sparkling interaction with a fellow human being. (Maybe I just need a better family and friends.) I might surprise people by writing that I've explored some very deep relationships over the years via email. My take is that humans have always found a way to distract themselves. Before there were cat videos there were broadcast TV shows and movies. Before there were blog sites there were tabloid newspapers and pulp fiction. And I have to believe that, before all of that, not every story told around a campfire rose to the level of "Canterbury Tales".

    As someone who could be considered a "digital native" (I've been around computers and telecommunications since I was a teen; very uncommon given my age) I've always seen digital technology merely as an amplifier of peoples' best and worst. I have found that not being the master of my own digital technology is as unhealthy as not being the master of how much liquor I drink or how often I go shopping or not being discerning in who I hang around with.

    I have a few social media accounts. They are populated by people I would associate with in real life. But social media and digital technology give me a greater "reach" to find and associate with people who are interested in what I'm interested in -- interests I'm unlikely to learn about merely by talking (even deeply) with their friends. Even this forum is a form of social media, so I think it behooves us to be specific about which particular forms of social media we want to denigrate.

    Social media keeps me up to date on what is going on in the lives of my family and friends. Maybe it's a trickle, but sometimes it's a very meaningful trickle. And that trickle is better than trying to schedule a live conversation with some folks, especially those who don't live anywhere nearby. Social media has taught me how to repair broken items in my home rather than live with them broken or buying a replacement or paying someone who learned how to fix it it before I learned how. Social media has supported me in my journey in living simply, knowing that I'm not the only one who wants to live smaller and more meaningfully even if I don't know anyone else in my neighborhood who wants to live this way. Social media also has shown me far too many cat videos, but that can be fixed: mute/snooze/ignore/unfollow -- magic commands!

    I'm not saying there's the same joy in meeting a good friend in person and enjoying a lunch or a walk together as there is in a "virtual lunch". But, especially these days, there's joy in being able to see that person on a screen for that. It's a blessing to be able to follow my neighbor's battle with cancer without always having to figure out a "good time" to call them to ask how they are doing or to burden them with an unexpected visitor.

    I believe it's possible to live a happy digital life. But it requires discipline, as so much of the rest of life does. Technology -- even social media -- is not to blame here. Do what you have to do to live simply. But I don't find a digital presence incompatible with living simply or with being able to concentrate on what matters to me. It is merely an amplifier.
    It is not so much that I find it the source of all society's ills, but rather my own experience in the past with it completely taking over my life and reducing my attention span to barely anything. I found myself losing out on rewarding experiences because I was staring at my phone. It is fascinating to see others opinions on how they go about things.

    You are certainly correct that social media is not to blame in and of itself, but I feel it is designed to be incredibly addictive to most users, and if you do not have excellent self-control, that is where the problems come in. I have friends that will sit on their phones through an entire movie or a dinner, or we will go somewhere awesome such as touring the waterfalls in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, or a concert (that they really wanted to see), and they will be on their phone instead of simply experiencing the moment. It is just so addicting to some.

    The other thing I have noticed is that social media can create anxiety and depression for many people. I, being an extremely happy person, have even been vulnerable to this in the past. I have led an incredible life, full of some amazing adventures and accomplishments; from volunteering fifteen years working on/operating steam locomotives, including the one used for the design and sounds in the movie 'The Polar Express', to spending twelve years guiding the historic Grand Haven Musical Fountain ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xfr_oZstulM ) through more than a million dollars in upgrades as the lead producer and head of operations and maintenance, all the way to traveling the country, hiking a couple hundred miles of the North Country Trail, working for a friend in live sound on the side and mixing shows for national and international touring acts when they come through town, etc... Yet, even with all that, I was still finding myself feeling a bit down when on social media, and I realized it was because when on social media, you typically only see everyone's "highlight reel" and compare it to your life, which also includes the boring or negating moments, leaving someone feeling like their life is less exciting.

    My other reason for not using social media is because I do not like my data being sold off to advertisers.

    Like you said, it comes down to discipline, and I also believe, a deep-seated knowledge that what you see is everyone's highlight reel and that they have ups and downs that they do not share as well. Thank you for your response; it was well-worded and an interesting read from a bit different perspective!

  9. #9
    Senior Member herbgeek's Avatar
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    I've only had a smart phone for a couple of years, because I didn't want to become that zombie that I see many people turning into- the ones who automatically respond to every text and notification while you're in the middle of a a conversation with them. I use my phone primarily to 1) text and 2) when traveling. It stays in my purse when I'm out and about. I intentionally don't have many apps on it, and I have notifications to almost everything shut off. When I'm waiting in line, I'm waiting in line not checking my phone.

    I do my primary internet activity either on a computer in my office or a tablet around the house. I only have a few sites I regularly check (this is one of them). Pinterest is a time suck though. I'm still online too much I think- at least during cold weather because its easier to do that than to find the motivation to start a more productive activity.

  10. #10
    Senior Member SteveinMN's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by herbgeek View Post
    Pinterest is a time suck though.
    Pinterest is DW's kryptonite. When she starts Pinterest, she tells me how long she wants to look so I can remind her when to stop.
    Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome. - Booker T. Washington

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