Digital Minimalism III

When the challenge began, for me it was just about stopping using my cell phone, but now I can say that it is not about that. What I learned was to develop strategies to regain control over the time and attention I give to it. I learned to use the phone with intention, being more aware of when and why I use it.

This challenge was not about stopping using my phone.

Very much like Marie Kondo examining the elements of a room, seeing what works and what doesn’t, what gives pleasure and what doesn’t, I decided to review each of the apps that I have installed. I deleted those that I no longer used, group everything according to the type of app and leave on the last screen those apps/groups that I will not be constantly reviewing.

After 14 days trying to minimize the time I spend in front of the screen, this is what has changed in my daily routine:

Now my cell phone does not mark the beginning and end of my days, that is, the first thing I do when I wake up and the last thing I do before going to sleep is no longer, spending time in front of my phone screen. As a result, I can say that I sleep more calmly and get up more easily (now my cell phone is on my desk which forces me to get up when the alarm rings, goodbye to the postpone button)

I no longer constantly check my cell phone. When I unlock the screen or open an application, I know it’s because I need to do or see something specific. It is no longer the use of the cell phone to hang out or kill time, but for necessary things.

I began to wonder if social media really add anything of value to my life as to spend too much time on them. When I saw that the answer was that they don’t really add much, it became easier to stop checking them so frequently.

For me this activity was something personal, the challenge led me to implement new actions that, although initially, they were sporadic, now I hope they become a constant for my day to day.

In the end, it is not about leaving technology aside (we live in a context where this is almost impossible) but about regaining control over how we spend our time and the things we do give attention to.