That's a crazy thing in this day and age, everything feels so biased to having one. If you haven't written about life without a smartphone that's definitely something I'd be interested in reading!
I like how you highlight not only the hidden cost of distraction, but also the deliberate, patient work involved in reclaiming one’s life. Or, the weight of what is lost without losing sight of what can still be restored.
😂 It’s possible to have much more than you thought possible, if only you can get rid of what doesn’t matter. Like you said though, the key is realising that and everyone is busy with all of those things and mostly just don’t realise.
I've struggled with the same in the past Mark! Even with Substack, had it on my phone, deleted it, redownloaded it, deleted it. I have gotten rid of nearly every distraction on my phone, and it's been one of the best decisions I ever made. Putting it into perspective as you did by calculating the hours makes you realise just how much time we waste on our phones. I feel so much better now I'm not a slave to it.
I’ve just found some of my old phones, a Motorola and a couple of Nokias, I’m considering a dumbphone experiment but I can’t find the chargers and they turned off the 3g signal that they work on in 2024 so I’m not sure i can get them to work. They don’t make phones like they used to!
They’re solid as a rock too. I’m going to try and laser cut some plastic as a sim adaptor at the weekend and with any luck I’ll be rocking the old school phone for a while. I’ve located one of the chargers and it powers on, no snake on the Nokia though 🤦♂️
I don't take my phone in the bathroom. Therefore i'm not a liar 😂
I can't dare, i know my brain's gonna drift away thinking about life's philosophy in that sacred realm called bathroom and my old wobbly hands will loosen up the strong grip and my phone definitely gonna slip and drop straight right into the..... Unknown 👀
The best thing is that you realized your priorities sooner than later. Before your family learned to live without you. Those who jailbreak at the end of their lives finally... They see it's too late. There's no reversing time now. Only regrets.
We so easily get caught up in the day to day snapshotting and lose sight of the bigger picture hanging on the lounge wall, those real physical connections and little joys and cheerful laughing moments are truly irreplaceable. And when these connections are cut off then we are only apparently all together but mentally every individual is living inside their screens. I hope your readers including me would reflect on our priorities from now..
I wanted to write a long comment but NO time is precious sooooooo yes i'll be on my way to edit something giant to make it favourably time saving.. 👽
It's easy to get caught up in anything, let's make sure we get caught up in what's important or leads to something important. And not just time wasters. Entertainment and relaxation don't always have to be time wasted, we need to relax, but when 30 minutes turns into a full day that we resent ourselves for, thats when it's not good.
Yeah, sadly we have definitely become more beholden to the digital gods. And I would sure hope no one gets to the end of their life thinking dang I wish I would've done one more TikTok video. Lol
Sadly I honestly believe that we’re not far away from people livestreaming their last breath as one final push for validation. “The last tiktok” lets hope it doesn’t become a trend!
Those calculations are unbelievable, scary. I just looked at my usage & I cfeel ashamed of it. I needed this reminder, don't know why I gradually get loose on this. Thanks for the wake up call, I also need to set those alarms with those stats showing up so my mind sees the reality.
It really can get out of hand can’t it. I maybe should have been a bit more leanient on how phone’s are used though, it’s easily possible that someone might have a couple of hours a day due to them having maps open whilst driving, or on work calls. So it’s not always the screentime that is the scary thing, but the time in apps. If you have 6 hours of Reddit and Twitter then that’s likely much worse than the same 6 hours being made up of Maps, Facetime and a few other apps.
Such a great wake up call Mark. I admit it, I use screens to numb my grief and fear and it's not healthy. Definitely time to lock that down. I have begun having social media vacations where I just don't touch the phone unless its for a text from family or a call. It's been so peaceful! Maybe it's time to ramp that up to a full 2-3 days a week of no screen of any kind. And I feel you on the kids statements...how much have I missed? How much have I chosen the screen over my kids? Thank you for the wakeup call!
Thanks Aprille, the worst thing it that we’ll never really know what we missed, because it didn’t happen. I think it only starts to hit the older you get and you realise that days of building dens in the woods are numbered. It will be uncool to spend time with your dad very soon indeed!
Social media holidays really do make a difference, or even just not having the notifications on so the only things pinging are text messages and calls.
Exactly. I haven't had notifications on for probably ten years because they bother me too much. For me, it's getting bored or nervous or anxious and going to the phone.
That was an issue for me too, reaching in moments of habit. Very much like quitting smoking/vaping. Once you get out of the habit or replace it, it's much easier.
I fiddle by default, my phone, a zip, keys in my pocket pens. It's maybe something to keep your hands busy would help?
Some crazy stats! Thank my lucky stars I don't own a smartphone
That's a crazy thing in this day and age, everything feels so biased to having one. If you haven't written about life without a smartphone that's definitely something I'd be interested in reading!
I should huh?
I think the idea of not having a smartphone for most people on substack, who are reading it on a smartphone, would be such a great contrast.
Yes, please :)
I like how you highlight not only the hidden cost of distraction, but also the deliberate, patient work involved in reclaiming one’s life. Or, the weight of what is lost without losing sight of what can still be restored.
And with that, I shall take my royal leave.
Your Highness 👑
😂 It’s possible to have much more than you thought possible, if only you can get rid of what doesn’t matter. Like you said though, the key is realising that and everyone is busy with all of those things and mostly just don’t realise.
This is quite helpful- Thanks!
You’re very welcome!
I've struggled with the same in the past Mark! Even with Substack, had it on my phone, deleted it, redownloaded it, deleted it. I have gotten rid of nearly every distraction on my phone, and it's been one of the best decisions I ever made. Putting it into perspective as you did by calculating the hours makes you realise just how much time we waste on our phones. I feel so much better now I'm not a slave to it.
I’ve just found some of my old phones, a Motorola and a couple of Nokias, I’m considering a dumbphone experiment but I can’t find the chargers and they turned off the 3g signal that they work on in 2024 so I’m not sure i can get them to work. They don’t make phones like they used to!
Prefer the older style of phone to be honest. Would be cool to just own a Nokia or something haha and trial it for a month.
They’re solid as a rock too. I’m going to try and laser cut some plastic as a sim adaptor at the weekend and with any luck I’ll be rocking the old school phone for a while. I’ve located one of the chargers and it powers on, no snake on the Nokia though 🤦♂️
I don't take my phone in the bathroom. Therefore i'm not a liar 😂
I can't dare, i know my brain's gonna drift away thinking about life's philosophy in that sacred realm called bathroom and my old wobbly hands will loosen up the strong grip and my phone definitely gonna slip and drop straight right into the..... Unknown 👀
The best thing is that you realized your priorities sooner than later. Before your family learned to live without you. Those who jailbreak at the end of their lives finally... They see it's too late. There's no reversing time now. Only regrets.
We so easily get caught up in the day to day snapshotting and lose sight of the bigger picture hanging on the lounge wall, those real physical connections and little joys and cheerful laughing moments are truly irreplaceable. And when these connections are cut off then we are only apparently all together but mentally every individual is living inside their screens. I hope your readers including me would reflect on our priorities from now..
I wanted to write a long comment but NO time is precious sooooooo yes i'll be on my way to edit something giant to make it favourably time saving.. 👽
You wrote this in the bathroom didn't you 😂
It's a risk of losing it forever that's for sure!
It's easy to get caught up in anything, let's make sure we get caught up in what's important or leads to something important. And not just time wasters. Entertainment and relaxation don't always have to be time wasted, we need to relax, but when 30 minutes turns into a full day that we resent ourselves for, thats when it's not good.
Yeah, sadly we have definitely become more beholden to the digital gods. And I would sure hope no one gets to the end of their life thinking dang I wish I would've done one more TikTok video. Lol
Sadly I honestly believe that we’re not far away from people livestreaming their last breath as one final push for validation. “The last tiktok” lets hope it doesn’t become a trend!
Sadly, you are probably right. The new trend - don’t just document your final days, but share that last moment for posterity’s sake.
Those calculations are unbelievable, scary. I just looked at my usage & I cfeel ashamed of it. I needed this reminder, don't know why I gradually get loose on this. Thanks for the wake up call, I also need to set those alarms with those stats showing up so my mind sees the reality.
It really can get out of hand can’t it. I maybe should have been a bit more leanient on how phone’s are used though, it’s easily possible that someone might have a couple of hours a day due to them having maps open whilst driving, or on work calls. So it’s not always the screentime that is the scary thing, but the time in apps. If you have 6 hours of Reddit and Twitter then that’s likely much worse than the same 6 hours being made up of Maps, Facetime and a few other apps.
I hope you reclaim lots of time Mayank!
Such a great wake up call Mark. I admit it, I use screens to numb my grief and fear and it's not healthy. Definitely time to lock that down. I have begun having social media vacations where I just don't touch the phone unless its for a text from family or a call. It's been so peaceful! Maybe it's time to ramp that up to a full 2-3 days a week of no screen of any kind. And I feel you on the kids statements...how much have I missed? How much have I chosen the screen over my kids? Thank you for the wakeup call!
Thanks Aprille, the worst thing it that we’ll never really know what we missed, because it didn’t happen. I think it only starts to hit the older you get and you realise that days of building dens in the woods are numbered. It will be uncool to spend time with your dad very soon indeed!
Social media holidays really do make a difference, or even just not having the notifications on so the only things pinging are text messages and calls.
Exactly. I haven't had notifications on for probably ten years because they bother me too much. For me, it's getting bored or nervous or anxious and going to the phone.
That was an issue for me too, reaching in moments of habit. Very much like quitting smoking/vaping. Once you get out of the habit or replace it, it's much easier.
I fiddle by default, my phone, a zip, keys in my pocket pens. It's maybe something to keep your hands busy would help?