On the Pleasures and Sorrows of Life Without Screens

The article is quite optimistic about peoples&#x27; abilities to transform their newfound boredom into something creative, but as in the example with books, this digital minimalist &quot;healthy&quot; boredom also has its prerequisites to make it work.<p>By likening social media use to addiction, only the negative effects are highlighted. For example, the waiting line in the supermarket used to be full of aggression, it has become much calmer with phones, and some people might even revert to alcohol or other destructive habits when they feel uncomfortable with being alone. In some cases, distraction can even be beneficial, as playing Tetris reduces PTSD and flashbacks. <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.scientificamerican.com&#x2F;article&#x2F;tetris-shown-to-lessen-ptsd-and-flashbacks&#x2F;?redirect=1" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.scientificamerican.com&#x2F;article&#x2F;tetris-shown-to-l...</a><p>Perhaps a better metaphor might be travelling: When I travel too often and move aroung all the time, there is a certain &quot;up in the air&quot; - emptyness - it feels as if I don&#x27;t ever arrive anywhere, and I spend far too much time in airports and in transit. When I travel less often, it is easier to enjoy the ride and the experience has a positive impact.

I read <i>Digital Minimalism</i> back in February, and did a cleanse in March per his recommendations. One thing I noticed... I normally keep track of books I&#x27;ve read. I jumped from reading two books a month to reading six. Was I seriously reading four books a month in bullshit screen scrolling and arguing with people who are wrong on the Internet? Apparently.<p>I still use the phone as distraction, but now I do it with the Kindle app. I keep my phone Kindle loaded with books I can read in short bursts without extended concentration (currently about to finish the financial planning book <i>I Will Teach You to Be Rich</i>, by Ramit Sethi), and carry my regular Kindle around for books that require more engagement.<p>I already avoided video games; I&#x27;ve done so for years, because I recognized that I have an addiction problem. When it comes to videogames, I&#x27;m like an alcoholic that doesn&#x27;t drink for fear of the consequences. What I didn&#x27;t realize is how carefully crafted the addictions of Facebook and Twitter are, how they sucked me in worse than video games ever did.<p>I have a long ways to go to fully engage with the world again, but I&#x27;m getting better.

Digital Minimalism was probably my least favorite Cal Newport book, not for the subject matter but because of the reliance on third party stories. I like to hear peoples’ stories first hand.<p>Even though I ended up being a partially failed case for using this book, I still got value from it. I mostly did the thirty day digital detox but ended up going back almost to my old routine. The difference is that I have perhaps reduced wasted time on my devices by about 1&#x2F;3. I am more aware of how much time I am spending, while I am spending it reading Twitter, HN, or playing Chess or Go when I have short periods of non-busy time. I am considering removing Chess and Go apps from all my devices.<p>If you are going to read just one Cal Newport book, I recommend choosing Deep Work.

Funny how younger people don&#x27;t even know how the true boredom looks like. They think they get bored on their phones. Only after they go on screen detox they realise how much more fucking boring the life is. Especially if you don&#x27;t have an obsessive hobby and do not want to bother other people just because you personally are bored.<p>I feel bad for people older than me that never got adjusted to the smartphones when they have to wait staring blankly into space or trying to start up a monologue to random stangers because they can&#x27;t stand how dull the inside of their head is. Before smartphones your only salvation was a book and it was limited tool also not for everyone.<p>Smartphone as entertainment devices are the greatest social invention so far.

Whatever you want to call it, I&#x27;m all for <i>digital minimalism</i> these days.<p>I find modern computing to be filled with stress and anxiety. Computers, at one time, used to sit idle until used. Using a computer was to use a tool to help you get some task done that was previously menial and boring. These days as soon as I sit down at a computer I start getting messages, advertisements, pleas, bargains, warnings, requests... it seems like it never ends. I sit down to get some work done and an hour later I&#x27;ve finally managed to get enough of the messages down and distractions over with that I&#x27;ve nearly forgotten what it was I intended to do in the first place.<p>And this experience has been following me in my pocket for more than a decade. Since 2008 or so it has been getting louder, more obnoxious, and demanding. Offers for new phones and data plans when I&#x27;m trying to bathe my kids vibrate in my pocket waiting to be heard. Advertisements tailored to my interests and desires follow me everywhere. Messages from people trying to contact me whenever the whim comes to them. There is little room for silence in my days anymore.<p>I have a dream inspired by the folks behind <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;screenl.es&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;screenl.es&#x2F;</a> -- a version of computing where there screens are not the primary interface for computing. One that is diverse, invisible, and intentional. I&#x27;d like a version of computing that is controlled by me and bends around my needs and not the needs of product designers, advertisers, and whims of others.<p>Until I can realize that dream or someone else gets it done I think I&#x27;m going to continue my trend of cutting out as much technology from my life as possible. I need more silence, solitude, and intentional, meaningful interactions. I don&#x27;t want a deluge of social opinion on every happening in the world aimed right at my brain.

How about the pleasures of life without other people&#x27;s music and TV, which adults and children play aloud with no headphones in NYC, on a subway and in a forced, enclosed space?<p>Should we thank the geniuses who designed phones with amplified speakers and no headphone jack (some people are too poor&#x2F;cheap for Bluetooth I suspect)? Or do we thank Facecrook and Instascam for out-loud videos cranked up at a higher volume on Android?<p>Or a breakdown of norms due to being a permissive, some call freer society?<p>Whatever it is, it&#x27;s a quality of life detriment for those of us in dense areas, and a personal pet peeve.

I am a good dancer, well only Lindy and East coast swing. Not much weight for me to lose. I have a black belt in Kenpo. But I am also a systems administrator, enjoy my Switch, and generally spend at least a few hours looking at a screen each day, more than 12 hours on a work day. So I fail to see the correlation...<p>Seems like less about tech minimalism being the key and more, learning how to have self control. I am not knocking that, I believe that if you do not have the self control to manage a habit than you should remove that habit if it is a detriment. Nonetheless, the article, IMHO, is off the mark.

Interesting topic but is this not just an advert for this guys book?

If you want to distract yourself while not doing anything you will find a way to do it. Before smart phones there were computers and video games. Before that there was television. Before that there was printed fiction of many sorts, most of it of no personal or social value at all.<p>It is good to strive to do worthwhile things. The worthless things you do to fill your time are not preventing you from doing anything else. You do what you do...