My phone is not dumb enough Link to heading

I’ve been touching on the general topic of digital minimalism from time to time on this blog, not least in the post about dumbing down my iPhone and disabling its built-in browser. I’ve also kind of reviewed the Lightphone II, and found it to be a great idea not quite making the cut when the rubber hits the(/my) road. The struggle against screen addiction and digital death is real, and it takes a great deal of intentionality to keep my various smart devices on a leash, making sure I’m the head and not the tail!

Here are some existing wins in the battle for my brain, heart and sleep

  • Spending time with Jesus before unlocking my phone in the morning: This is the most important one, as it kind of sets the course for the rest of the day.
  • Removing all social media from my phone: Even Messenger and the like. It’s a bit inconvenient at times, but IMHO really worth it.
  • Checking email on Mondays (only Mondays): This one is hard, and I’ve failed miserably lately. But when it works, it’s a bucketload of peace. I recommend it, even though I often miss the mark myself.
  • Disabling Safari: Truly inconvenient, but all the more worth it. If I (think I) need to “just check something”, it’ll have to wait until I’m at my laptop, which I luckily don’t bring everywhere.
  • Using a grayscale filter: This supposedly decreases the dopamine rush of looking at the screen, at least, to me it serves as a gentle reminder that the real world is not found in OLED pixels.

The problem with using my phone to solve a problem Link to heading

A common denominator of all the above is that none of the things (checking texts in the morning, googling something on the go, replying to a group message etc) are “bad” in and of themselves. But whenever I let the dragon out of its cage unlock my iPhone, it demands more attention than I had initially budgeted on giving it. It’s never “just checking that email”, it’s checking that particular email and also being reminded about something completely unrelated that sets off a chain reaction of distractions (at the very least), or even worry, stress and low-level anxiety. And these things propagate and aggregate over time, so the baseline keeps adding up as the day runs along, leaving us less than peaceful when it’s finally (and often quite suddenly!) time to sleep. Yikes.

I don’t want that. So whenever I can do something without unlocking my phone, I celebrate and implement. I’ve long since stopped trying to find apps to solve problems, and rather look for things or ways to solve problems without apps.

When my RAM runs out Link to heading

I am a thinker, to some extent a planner, and in many ways a person in need of verbal or written processing. That is, I’m most at ease when I can either discuss my ideas and/or concerns, or at the very least write them down for safekeeping. I’ve previously argued that the best tool to take notes is the one close at hand, and I stand by that. When on my laptop I prefer ripnote. But I’ve found that I can (and must) be more intentional than just that; if I’m already on my laptop, then ripnote is the best tool for the job – but I can choose whether to bring said laptop into a meeting, and it makes a difference whether I do or not. So, for quite some time I’ve started rather bringing a paper notebook to meetings; it keeps distractions at arm’s length, and makes it easier to stay focused and present (especially in boring meetings).

But when not being intentional, when simply walking around doing life, I’ve up until now settled on taking notes using the tool already at hand—my iPhone. But I’m all done with that too.

Apple Notes, Google Keep – whatever, it’s all good. But again, it’s never just “jotting down that great idea for a new blog post”, it’s all the evil that lurks nearby, whether a reminder, a text that sounds urgent, or whatever notification you thought you’d turned off that gets in your face. And the moment is gone before it even came. The best part of those weeks spent using a Lightphone was the feeling of being creative and present within my own thoughts. I’ve found that I’ve really missed it lately, and decided to try to keep note-taking at a safe distance from my phone as well.

An EDC extension Link to heading

So, contrary to what I’ve previously written—about just using whatever’s close by, like ripnote—I’ve decided that for me it’s worth always carrying a small notebook and a half-size pencil. When I have an idea, something I suddenly fear forgetting or something I want to process in writing, I now do that as well without reaching for my phone. To my own surprise, I found myself writing a small Elm application by hand the other day, while the kids were playing nearby. And I’ve found that I’m actually quite fine with them seeing their dad caught up in his notes from time to time, inventing things or simply collecting his thoughts. I’d much rather that than them seeing dad doomscrolling through life, distracted by this and that and never really present.

Bad: Having an impulse to check whether Tom Bombadil actually put on the ring -> Googling it instantly A little better: Putting it on a list of things to google later using whatever notetaking app Much better: Writing it down without even putting on the ring myself unlocking my iPhone 🤤

So I’m adding this to my existing battle plan: I’m taking notes using a basic, nondescript black notebook and some random pencil one of my daughters forgot out in the yard.

My notebook (if you must know, it’s a Moleskine Cahier ruled notebook, but that’s beside the point)

I’m sure there are more dragons to slay, even ones that I’m not aware of at all, but this new habit has already had a real effect on my sleep quality and creativity. I’ve started one small and one huge side project since then, and I think it’s closely related to freeing up mental and creative capacity. In summary, it’s just like the others on the list: inconvenient, but worth it.

Our brains, hearts and sleep matter, so let’s count the cost and act like it!