The iPhone I have is a 6 something. It’s older than what’s available and because of that I guess it’s been slowed down by Apple. And actually, I’m more than okay with this. Over the winter, with some success, some failure, I’ve tried to cut back on my iPhone usage. The slowness has helped me because the user experience is mildly slower than it used to be. I was thinking the other day of what life was like before constantly being connected, which began for me in 2010. Before then, no smart phone needed, I got along just fine.
After work I could just sit on the porch with a book or magazine and just focus. In between chapters or articles, I’d just stare off into the sky. Then I’d return to reading. There was no checking in on things to see if I’d missed something. No scrolling and scrolling and scrolling. Because there was no busying myself with what’s happening in the world, I did miss stuff. Didn’t hear about the latest this or that. And what may sound completely shocking, life didn’t end.
Instead, life went on. There was the intentional doing of nothing. Because why do you have to be doing something all the time any way? This coming from a person who is very concerned with being productive. But if you think about it, is scrolling and scrolling and scrolling really productive? Maybe if you’re a journalist. If you’re like me, probably not.
The other night I found myself sitting alone in my office. In the dark, just listening to music. Mind wandering this way and that. I suppose I was just killing time. But it felt quite liberating. Just sitting, thinking, my eyes not tracking any feed whatsoever. Anxiety low, breathing steady, outlook optimistic.
We’d all benefit from more of this. Your feeds will be there in the morning.
