Hi
Welcome to another mail from SLS.
Today I talk about lifestyle design. And have exciting news in the end.
You know that one thing thaa’s an extension of us and we can’t survive without?
Yes, I am talking about your mobile phones!!!!
After being observant about using my phone, I have decided not to upgrade it ever.
As a marketing designer and a content creator, most of my time is spent on my laptop. As a result, my work and leisure have been limited to 13x15 inches screen.
When I started writing on Medium, I was obsessed with checking my stats. I’d check my stats at least 30 times a day on worst days. It made me anxious and wasted a lot of time. I’d also check my emails first thing in the morning and see how many followers I have gained overnight.
90% of the time, I was using the phone because of companies or people.
The companies either wanted me to buy their product or upgrade my existing plan. And the people in my network were sending random messages as we used to in 6th grade: the forwarded messages or bland “hi,” which had no potential to spark a real conversation.
According to research from RescueTime, people generally spend an average of 3 hours 15 minutes on their phones, with the top 20% using over 4 hours and 30 minutes. Most people check their phone around 58 times.
After understanding how much time I was wasting on my phone, I started a personal experiment to know whether I was using my phone correctly or it was using me. The experiment taught me that I don’t have to check my phone as often as I do. In addition, it made me keep track of how much time I was using on my phone for work and entertainment.
It made me mindful and conscious about using my phone for my purpose and not on the whims of brands and people who had my contact.
I don’t enjoy using my phone anymore; the whole experience has been deprived over time. Even when I love technology and like upgrading my devices now and then, I am not interested in upgrading my phone anymore.
Over the last couple of months, I have reduced my screen time drastically, and I only use my phone when needed.
Here’s Why I Can Happily Go Back to My Very First Nokia Phone
If you’ve watched the Netflix documentary, The Social Dilemma, you’d know how the tech giants spend millions of dollars building algorithms and hooks to make people addicted to their platforms.
I was using my phone like I was the slave of these companies.
I opened my phone when they wanted me to. I checked my phone on every beep from FB, IG, and others. I would have this urge to read every text beep I’d get.
Even when I turned off the notification, I was hoping to receive something. It’s the same feeling you get when you open your fridge to find something to eat every time you’re bored. You know the fridge has nothing new to offer, but you still repeat this exercise out of boredom.
Upgrading our phones doesn’t mean upgrading our lives.
It’s hard to believe that only a few months back when I wanted Notion, Trello, Bumble, Twitter, and all the wonderful apps on my smartphone. I wanted everything within a click. Now I can’t even handle WhatsApp.
Understanding how my phone was using me and not vice versa made me uninstalled all the apps supplying cheap dopamine. I also got rid of Gmail to distinguish my working time from leisure.
I started using my laptop for work and happily accessed the web versions of Notion and other productivity tools. However, when I need to use Gmail or Medium during critical cases, I use Safari on my iPhone, and it works perfectly fine.
I, now, strictly use it for calling or urgent messages. I have transitioned my communication to Zoom calls, Emails, or Slack messages.
People I wanted to talk to are on my speed dial. We talk on Zoom calls; we exchange insightful emails. We don’t waste each other's time by sending meaningless messages on Whatsapp/Telegram. They get better if you make them more personal by meeting in person and on Zoom or Google Meets, which I primarily access from my laptop.
Living with my family helps in letting reduce my time on the phone.
Now, I mostly use it for utility apps to pay my bills and have financial apps to track my expenses and keep an eye on the market.
With my basic requirements from my phone, I see no point in upgrading it. More features on a device mean more distractions.
The connections I build and my work don’t depend not on the device I use.
If I had the chance and zero dependencies on my phone, I’d stop using it to create more mental space, just like Christopher Nolan.
Until that day, I’d use it only when extremely necessary.
A lesson of the week
Life teaches us the lessons we need to learn when the time is right.
Currently reading
I am still stuck on the 12 Stages of Healing. A book by Donald M. Epstein and Nathaniel Altman. The one I was reading last week,
Video of the week
I watched journalist and Youtuber Johhny Harris talking about the Nipplegate incident that happened in the 2004 Superbowl.
Justin Timberlake causing havoc on stage, yet the whole world called Janet Jackson the culprit. Guess it’s a thought world for women even when you’re at the top. Check the video here.
Quote of the Week
"Follow your instinct.”—Myself (haha)
Song of the Week
Carry You by Novo Amour. He’s my favorite artist because his songs take to another space.
Creation of the Week
I have exciting news for you. I am going live with my friend Anangsha Alammyan who’s an author and a famous Medium writer. We will be talking about our Summer reads and exchanging some wonderful books with each other.
Do join us at 8 PM IST today if you can.
Fun fact- it’s my first Youtube Live, and I am super excited. I would love to know your fav books in the live chat.
I wish you a great week ahead. I will see you next with some more personal experiments and the best finds.
Sending you love and light
Shreya