In a swift succession of drunken holiday events I broke my smartphone in April this year.
I then proceeded to swiftly smash my notebook.(Also alcohol related.)
Although unintended I have been without the ability to access the internet on the go since April this year.
Now I am connected again. And I am not sure if I like it.
I am fancied up with a google nexus and a new tablet for blogging on the bus.
This is is not entirely a bad thing.
I am trying to add purpose to my commute to work as this adds up to two and a half hours of the day I can put towards my writing jobs.
So, what were the benefits I noticed during my disconnection from smartphone use?
1. Less aimless scrolling and internet ugoogalising. I would check facebook and my emails at night, log on for a half hour or so, have a scroll and get offline quickly. I did not miss much. And there was rarely something SO urgent that I should respond to. (If it is THAT urgent, people should call, right?)
2. Less self comparison and feeling generally FOMO (fear of missing out). Subsequently I have not weighed myself in three months. For a person with weight issues Facebook is not the best thing for me. I tend to feel guilty every time someone is training and I am not. I am not comparing myself to other so much anymore, the fact that they are doing ironmen or looking fitter than me or whatever.
3. I see less babies. No offence baby friends, but the constant updates about motherhood, and your baby smiling (and sometimes doing very funny shit too so please do not stop sharing this) was just making me feel like there was something wrong with me for not wanting one myself. This is my issue, not yours, and is related to the issues I just explained in the point above. I am happier with my non decision status and I now combat this feeling of being FOMO effectively with photos of my fur baby.
4. It feels like I had more time. I was more present in the moment. I was more productive at work without my smartphone and more focused in the conversations I shared with friends. I also noticed a lot of the time how much friends and my husband would look at their smartphone when I was with them.
5. More snuggles in the morning in bed and no smartphone scrolling
6. The same goes before sleep…No scrolling before bed and thus a deeper sleep.
What did I miss about my smartphone?
1. Being able to use this commuting time to write, as I am now.
2. Being able to organise my life on the bus on the way to work and get things done outside of work hours.
3. Staying in touch with people and their lives via the interweb.
4. Reading other blogs on the bus.
Now that I have been gadgeted up again it feels I am again always connected to some kind of device one way or another.
While this is a blessing, it sometimes feels like I have no ‘off’ button.
I am tweeting, instagramming, blogging, face-booking, working all day in front of the computer at my full time job and trying to create something in my spare time.
It is frazzling and kinda hectic.
Any tips for finding balance in this digital world?
How do you disconnect when all your work is online?
