Hello friends!
I recently did some freelance work outside of the country for six weeks. As part of this work, I was required to surrender my cellphone for the entire duration of the process, an initially daunting requirement. And while I was admittedly and initially skeptical of what life might be like on the other side, the disconnected side, I experienced a number of positive benefits from disconnecting. Today, I’d like to go over the benefits in a bit more detail. Perhaps you’ll find it’s time for you to disconnect, or at the least, minimize your use of technology.
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“Alright, cellphones in here please”. A small plastic bin was placed in front of me. I wasn’t thrilled to hear these words nor see a small plastic bin. It might as well have been a small coffin for my iPhone. The place where it would be laid to rest. At least for a few weeks. Somewhat hesitantly, I handed over my device.
I was expecting a bit more internal resistance, you know, bitching and complaining about the fact that I was no longer able to access Instagram. But that internal resistance never came. Much like my experience of cutting back on the amount of alcohol I was consuming, I didn’t really think about my phone. In fact, I wasn’t really thinking about it at all.
Right away I began to experience what the previous generation experienced so well. The present moment. With nothing to distract me, I was forced to be present, something a lot of us aren’t doing a whole lot of right now.
We are constantly being inundated with information. Whether this information is from Fox News, CNN, the radio, Podcasts, Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok, YouTube, emails, calling, texting, skyping, zooming, face timing, snapping, or any of the other hundred ways to rip you out of the present moment, we are the first types of people to be living in a time of technological information overload. And we are not yet very good at integrating our use of technology properly. It’s too new.
Having nothing to distract me, I paid more attention to my immediate surroundings. I daydreamed more often. I felt more relaxed. I felt happier. And overall, I had a general feeling of improved mental health. I felt like more of a human being and less some data point online.
It’s sort of like cleaning out the clutter in your room (the room being your brain and all). When your room is messy and chaotic (meaning your brain is messy and chaotic), it doesn’t feel good to be in it. But take out the garbage, pick up your clothes, and set the room up the way you want it, suddenly it feels really good to be in it. You feel more relaxed and at ease. This is good.
Whether you deliberately disconnect, put daily time limits on apps, or simply monitor your use of time online, consciously and properly using your phone well is likely to add a layer of happiness to your life that you didn’t even realize you were missing.
Think about it.
See you next Monday.
Your friend,
Trevor
(Note: If you enjoy this newsletter, please consider sharing it with someone who would get a lot out of it. If this was shared with you, you can sign up here to receive it each Monday morning. It’s free, plus you get a handful of special "thank you's" when you sign up).