12 experiments in digital freedom
here are 12 digital experiments arranged roughly in order of difficulty. most are meant to be completed as a regular practice — not as a one-off activity. not all may be possible — depending on your work life — but certainly worth considering, and possibly worth planning for.
humans have lived and loved for millenia without being tethered to digital devices. why is the default always being on and available to others (rather than being present with ourselves?) why should boredom always need a bad lollipop?
technology is here to make our lives better — not to make us its compulsive slave. it’s here to connect us to each other — not to disconnect us in real life, and real time. most of us live two lives, at least. the real, breathing life should not be our payment for the digital one.
if the body is a temple, the mind is an alter. or the mind is the garden around the temple. we need to be better caretakers and better guardians of it — rather than letting it pile up with other people’s junk.
the opposite of compulsion is not abstinence. it’s having a choice.
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12 EXPERIMENTS FOR DIGITAL FREEDOM
put your phone away while with company
remove all notifications except what’s essential
wake up with something other than your phone
go to sleep with something other than your phone
touch your phone only after breakfast
methodically reconsider everything you consume
create a separate account for the emails you cherish.
touch your phone only when you truly need to
give full attention to every digital moment
live an entire day without screens
live an entire week without screens
live an entire month without screens
I completed #10 this past weekend (see report from day 1) and will make it at least a weekly thing. I definitely went through withdrawal during #3, #4, #5, and #8 — it brought up unrelated discomfort and personal anxieties which were very good to face — like tearing out the numbing IV drug dripper that was lodged in my veins. at #6, I allowed myself to abandon social media, and I freed myself from the guilt of unread emails. I started reading books instead. I haven’t looked back.
I am still trying to figure out when to try #11 and #12, and what to do with the emails I sincerely want to reply to, but haven’t found the space to yet. I will keep you posted.