You Don’t Need An App For That

The ultimate meditation device is your mind

It wasn’t until I finished my run that I realised I hadn’t run anywhere. My screen displayed 0 KM but my lungs were telling me otherwise.

Not hitting start on your running app is a bummer. Even though you feel great, something is missing. If it doesn’t happen in an app, does it happen at all?

Two years after Apple launched the iPhone, they ran a campaign for the app store. It announced ‘There’s an app for that’. In each advert the’d show different problems. Like finding a good place to order pizza — and then highlight an app that would help solve the dilemma.

It was killer advertising, the kind you quote to a friend.

Now, ten years later, it seems like there is an app for almost everything. We’re drowning in software.

Do apps always add value? Basically, no. There moments when an app gets in the way of experience. And it’s important to know which they are.

Your Monthly Subscription To Enlightenment

Modern life means using technology. And by extension, it should also mean knowing when not to. Meditation is, for the most part, an activity that doesn’t benefit from being packaged in an app.

At times, sitting to meditate can be tedious and frustrating, especially in the beginning. But that’s the purpose — it’s a challenge we’re trying to overcome. Meditation asks that we bring our attention back to the present moment, again and again. It’s a challenge we’ve been struggling with forever :

‘All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.’ — Blaise Pascal

Consistent meditation builds our internal tools. It develops our ability to focus for longer. And as our monkey mind recedes, we gain a clearer perspective of reality.

But paying attention to the present moment is not what apps are training us to do.

Apps are, for the most part, optimised to get us hooked. In the attention economy, the holy grail is engagement. Which boils down to our focus and attention. The very thing we’re trying to claim back by meditating!

So what next?

Stop Calling The Operator

An app can be a great way to start learning meditation. It provides useful guidance and creates familiarity with the basics of how to practice. But at some point, your goals will diverge from the long-term interests of the service.

Here’s an analogy:

These days, when we pick up the phone, we expect to be able to call our friends and family immediately. But early telecommunication systems weren’t as seamless. They had a switchboard operator that connected us to the person at the end of the line.

Mobile technology changed that.

It got rid of the operator and switchboard, and it enabled us to connect directly with others.

Meditation apps are like having to connect via the switchboard rather than being able to direct dial. When your system isn’t well developed, an operator can be useful. They make the links you can’t. But in the long run, we want to move on from that. We want to be able to walk around, free of all that clunkiness. We want to make direct calls around the world.

‘Meditation is the ultimate mobile device; you can use it anywhere, anytime, unobtrusively.’ — Sharon Salzberg

Where ever you are, whatever you have with you, you have a direct line to stillness, strength and clarity of mind.

Meditation is the ultimate mobile technology.

So stop calling the operator and try going offline more often.

Where Are Your Digital Free Moments?

Here are some questions worth asking ourselves:

• When was the last time you went running without tracking it on an app?
• When was the last time you went to a gig and nobody filmed it on their phones?
• Or the last time you went to the toilet and didn’t check your phone?

Our lives are increasingly filled up with things. The average American adult spends 6.3 hours per day on the internet, and 3.7 of those hours are on their phone.

Many of our daily moments are being carefully boxed up, digitised and served to us as a product.

‘Our culture is composed more of mediated experiences than of directly lived ones.’ — Douglas Rushkoff

In his book Team Human, Mr Rushkoff argues that by continually meditating our experiences, many tech products are fragmenting our social bonds. They bring out individualistic qualities and create habitual attachments.

The question is no longer: is there an app for that.

It’s become: do you need an app for that.

The amount of time in our day not spent using technology is decreasing. So we need to consciously protect and enjoy the spaces that we keep digital free.

These no-tech moments are time to be with ourselves and others around us, to listen deeply and enjoy being alive.

It might take many forms: a run, a meditation session, a meal with friends. We come away with more from these moments when we let them breathe, free of any intervention.

It’s our responsibility to create that space. Luckily for us, the formula is simple enough.

Take A Deep Breath

What moment’s matter most to you?

I’ve been making a list of the times I’d rather not be using an app to do something.

It helps me notice when I’m using my phone by default, rather than by necessity.

Meditation helps me dial into what matters most — my own experience.

You’re already equipped with all the tools you need to be you. So take a moment. Put down the phone and take a deep breath.

That’s one thing you don’t need an app for.