Recently this video was recommended to me which caused a jolt in my thinking. The premise is, essentially, that time (in human terms) is a finite resource so what are we waiting for? Retirement? Financial emancipation but the pitfalls of old age? This is not meant to be morbid. It is a wake up call:
Thus I did what any millennial would do: a digital detox in the form of a Nokia 107. What does really matter to me? The obvious of family, friends, loved ones. Some more obscure - sitting in coffee shops and reading books that grip me. Looking through charity shops for treasures. Writing. I want to be more present, more appreciative and spend less of my life looking at a screen at people I don't know nor truly care about. Yes, social media - I'm looking at you.
It is a luxury to have my entire collection of photos from my teenage years to present, find out any answer at the touch of a button ('hey Google, please could you tell me [insert stupid question here]') but it is a complete time hole.
First impressions - I am not good at the old style of texting. It takes far too long, therefore I would much rather someone ring me to have a conversation rather than being four messages behind.
It is quite freeing not to be so available. I didn't realise how much I hate the plethora of emails I usually get on my smart phone - it is relentless and totally unnecessary. I haven't shopped at Missguided since I was a teenager....I'm halfway to thirty and want to boycott fast fashion so it doesn't make sense that they get a couple of minutes of my time EVERY DAY to delete their email offers / updates / general sh*te!
The downsides are, however, that I do enjoy looking at certain pages on instagram and being able to stay in the loop of what everyone is doing without them having to reach out / me constantly ask what is new. But maybe this is a good thing. I've been a lot quieter on social media for a couple of years for a range of reasons and, also, I like my privacy now. I like that people don't necessarily know what I am doing or where I have been or who I am with AND it gives me something to talk about with friends (especially since the inactivity of lockdown. Some people have been productive, others taken up new hobbies - the lush Welshman became a master bread baker - but I think I lost a lot of motivation to do things and the passion for things I used to love.)
There isn't really anything to learn from this experience (and I'll have a regular check in for the Nokia sessions to see what I've been spending my time doing rather than being stuck in the rabbit hole of memes and influencers) but I want to emphasise the finite resource of your time. What is important to you? What would you truly love to spend your time doing? If it is scrolling or learning from the internet and apps then all power to you; it wasn't for me, but this whole life thing is not one size fits all. As long as the things you choose to do in this life are not at the detriment of yourself or others then the choices are yours to make. With or without a Nokia 107.
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