A minimalist technique for tech.
Digital Detox
It starts with a 30 day digital detox in which the objective is to reset your baseline of expectations of relationships with the apps services and technologies that you use. These 30 days do not have to be ones lived in a cave. Instead, you should only keep those things that are absolutely vital. Keep in mind the role of the detox is not to provide you a temporarily relief from the overwhelming onslaught of technology and notifications on your attention and time, but to reset expectations, and set you up for a permanent change to be made after this period.
Reintroduced Tech
After this 30 day period, your mind it should be free and clear to then begin re-introducing technology in an intentional way. For each piece of tech, ask which of my core values is this technology serving and how? If it does not serve your core value, and instead provide some small amount of value, consider doing away with it all together. If it remains, come up with a list of standard operating procedures. “I will use Reddit only when…”. Think of replacement habits.
List of Recommended Practices
- Spend time alone
- Leave your phone at home. Or in the glove compartment. Or bottom of your backpack.
- Take long walks
- Journal
- Don’t click “like”
- Consolidate messaging to concentrated blocks. Don’t message unless you’re in a block.
- Hold “Conversation office hours”. Let your friends know you are available always to talk on the phone during some set schedule. A commute is a good candidate.
- Use your leisure time to build our fix or create something meaningful
- Schedule low quality leisure, don’t partake in it outside of the schedule
- Make devices single purpose
- Delete social media from your phone
- Engage with slow media
- … And a few others I’m definitely not doing (eg - do away with your smartphone)
Bored But Brilliant Challenges
- Observe your phone habits
- Don’t use your device while your in motion
- Don’t take any photos with your phone
- Delete the app you “can’t” live without
- Take a fakecation (basically set an out-of-office message and pretend like you’re not working, but work anyway)
- One small observation, try to notice something you would’t have before
- Use intentional boredom as a method to help you brainstorm toward solving a problem