Day 3 Journal 🧘♀️📵
Its day 3 of following my new simple rule which is no phone for the first 30 mins of waking up. It is much more difficult than I realise since I use my phone for alarm, checking emails and other notifications every morning.
But I have been trying to leave my phone right after the alarm. This new software called, Alarmy has been really helpful in keeping me accountable with my morning habits. I realized that in order to achieve long term habits, I need discipline and a system in place. For me the first thing is having a software that allows me to do so. Never did I think digital use can be positive given I only find myself abusing it, but realising its benefits has been a surprising discovery and I am excited to explore more of the positives our devices has to offer!
Day 4 Journal 🧠📺
Today, I feel much more exhausted than other days. Alarmy has been really effective but I realised that I may be getting less sleep than I need. Given it is a very busy day, my screentime has reduced but I found myself consuming long form content in between my meals or before bed. I personally think long form content is much better in attention and focus than short form but I am afraid I am relying on TV or movies since I feel guilty using my phone. It is a little step but I have been watching documentaries which are educational and also entertaining.
So far, I feel quite good on my device usage and not having my fav social media on my phone. I also learned that I have trouble maintaining attention for long but I think shifting content type in my consumption will aid me towards bettering my attention span. I will be seeing if I get better after a few weeks from now.
Week 3 Journal 📅☎️
One of my favorite exercises from week 3 is to be in the “stillness”. Stillness is much more difficult than I realised and being able to achieve comfort in stillness requires a training I have not had. Since Price reminds us to think of a few examples where I usually find myself bored, I would say it’s between study breaks, between classes and my walk home where I usually hop on the phone and a practice I recently started doing is avoiding music on my way to work or classes. Being unplugged allows me to hear my own thoughts, nature and the external environment in which I was never fully present. Recently, when I walked back home without earphones, I found the time went by really fast, usually it seems very boring and I could not bear the cold walk without entertainment here in college.
Secondly, I agree with the author on how these reliance on technology during our transition or in-between times never really offer a proper break. I don’t feel fully refreshed ever but I think often laying down in silence would be much better than scrolling or listening to music for “leisure”. Eating is definitely one of the most normalized times to stick to devices usually when you’re dining alone but lately, I have been more mindful while eating and I definitely believe food tastes better and focusing on eating is a form of self care which I value a lot.
Some concrete plans I have set to make sure my digital detox plan aligns with my philosophy (of tech) are, 1. Whenever I find myself scrolling, I use that urge to create something (edit youtube videos, start curating pinterest boards) or do something that is stimulating for my brain). In this manner, not only do I use my scrolling time for productivity, I am dedicating time to fuel and build on my creative passion. 2. Since I will be using my phone only for utilitarian purposes, I realigned the apps and their position so all the utilities software (bank, phone, messages, calendar, weather apps) are in front and visible. Distractor apps are hidden from the front view. 3. When it comes to maintaining quality relationships, I think I am already quite good at managing my relationships through phone but I could be better in avoiding my phone being near my friends and family. This way, I am able to nurture and invest in quality conversations.