I Might Get a Light Phone
I've been following the Light Phone project for a few years. I've come close to buying one on a couple of occasions, but always talked myself out of it at the last minute.
I've been wary of smartphones for a long time. I love all the things they can do. But I also hate all the things they can do. Despite all the convenient and productive things that can be done with them, I think most people would admit they are addicting.
Over the years I have made slow but steady progress towards more intentional smartphone use. I don't have games or video apps installed. I use social media in a mobile browser rather than use dedicated apps. I try to keep the number of apps installed to a minimum. A few months ago I started keeping my phone in my home office at night while I seep instead of right next to my bed so I can't just mindlessly grab my phone when I have the impulse.
But during the average day I still reach for my phone when I want to distract myself. Because I know I can. There's always something to do. Check the weather. Read the news. Look at photos. Whatever. It's a habit in which I have been entrenched for more than a decade. I want to break it. And I think the Light Phone or something like it could help me do that.
I was fascinated by the latest post on the Light Phone blog about Buxton School, a private boarding school in Massachusetts that recently implemented a campus-wide smartphone ban. They partnered with the folks at Light Phone to provide students and faculty with Light Phones instead. The results were promising. Read the blog and watch this video for more details:
Buxton School Goes Light from The Light Phone on Vimeo.
Reading about and listening to them talk about their experience, it seems like the people at Buxton School are starting to recapture something I think we've lost in a smartphone-centric society. Social networking without social media. Being present. Living in the moment. Embracing boredom and using it to spark deep thought and creativity.
I'd love give the Light Phone a try and see if it helps me do that, too. Money is tight with the holidays upon us. But maybe I can find a way.
#100DaysToOffload (No. 79) #tech #intentionism