It's a quote that's often misattributed to Gandhi. There doesn't seem to be a consensus on who said it, but that doesn't make it any less of a good quote. And it's something I've been thinking about a lot lately and trying to make some changes with it in mind.

“I wish more people would __________.”

“If more people would __________, I would, too.”

There a lot of things that I'm not doing that I wish I was doing, because they just make sense to me and I feel that they're good and right. But I don't do them, or I give up when I try to do them, because they're hard. Or nobody else is doing them. Or any number of other excuses I come up with.

But my conscience nags me. It's relentless. And maybe some of the discontent I feel is because I'm not doing as much as I could be doing to better align my actions and behaviors with my values. Maybe it's time for me to start trying to live the kind of life I wish I could live.

Lent has already been a time of spiritual change for me. I intend to keep working on that area of my life, but I've started making some temporal changes, too, and I will be sharing my experiences in all areas over the coming blog posts.

In this post I'll share some changes I'm making with regards to the technology I personally own and use, starting with my personal computers.

Aside from the company-issued laptop I use for work, I currently own three desktop computers and two laptops:

• HP Z240 Tower Workstation
• Acer TC-1760 Mini Tower
• 2019 iMac
• 2017 MacBook Air
• HP Laptop

I feel I need to reduce this list down to one machine instead of five, and I have chosen to keep the HP Laptop for a number of reasons. It's lightweight and versatile. I can use it in my home office or on the go. It takes up much less desk space than a desktop. It's much newer than the MacBook Air (which is long past its official support from Apple) and has much better specs.

I've also installed Pop!_OS on the HP laptop and have committed to using Linux as my primary personal computing OS going forward to reduce my dependence on proprietary non-free software (more on this in an upcoming post).

The HP Z240 workstation was my streaming PC for over a year and did the job admirably. But I recently acquired the Acer mini tower as its upgrade/replacement. I feel I can let both of these go because I've decided to stop streaming on Twitch and stream exclusively on PeerTube (more on this in an upcoming post) with a greatly simplified and less resource-intensive approach compared to what I was doing on Twitch.

I also am fine getting rid of the desktops because they tempt me too much to play video games, which I enjoy playing, but they tend to suck me in, make me lose track of time, and neglect more important things in my life.

The 2019 iMac is a fairly recent acquisition (it was given to me for free) and while it is still a very nice machine – especially with its beautiful 5k Retina display – I find that I prefer the more versatile wall-mounted dual monitor setup I have in my home office, which frees up more desk space. And I can use them for work and personal use, connecting them to either my work laptop or personal laptop as needed.

Another reason I want to let go of the Macs is because I would like to reduce my use of and dependence upon Apple products as much as possible. As with other Big Tech companies like Google, Meta, Amazon, Microsoft, etc., I don't trust Apple to do what's in the best interest of their customers – or humanity, in general.

This week I shifted to using the HP Laptop exclusively and will be looking for ways to sell or re-home the other computers, preferably to people who truly need them. Doing so will help me to simplify and streamline how I use computers and reduce the amount of proprietary “Big Tech” products I use. The reduced clutter and cables in my office are going to be most welcome, too.

Discuss...

#100DaysToOffload (No. 160) #tech #DigitalMinimalism #HomeOffice #laptop #intentionism

In September of 2023, I discovered a hobby and passion as a DJ streamer on Twitch, collecting music on physical media (compact disc, vinyl, cassette) and playing that music live for viewers. When I wasn't streaming on Twitch, I was watching other streamers. I also started using social media – particularly Instagram and Threads – to try to promote my stream, discover music, and plug into the DJ and streamer communities. I created my own Discord server for my Twitch stream and joined other servers. I started playing video games again both on PC and retro gaming on a PlayStation 2. When I wasn't doing any of those things I was on social media or doomscrolling the news or watching movies and TV shows – pretty much finding any excuse to be glued to a screen.

Most of my free time over the past 18 months has been consumed with these activities. And while I did find some degree of entertainment and genuine-but-fleeting joy in these things, I knew that my personal and spiritual life were suffering. I have felt disconnected from the real world, my family, my local community – I realize now I've probably been trying to escape from it. The real world can seem scary and overwhelming and it's healthy to find ways to cope and escape, but you can't let those things consume you, either.

Being a Twitch streamer, if you are trying to be consistent about it and grow your channel, can take over your life. Especially when you are starting out and trying to make a good try of it, when you are not actually streaming, you are thinking about and working on being a better streamer. Thinking about what kind of experiences you want to create, learning about all of the technology and systems involved, reading articles and watching videos about streaming, watching other streamers to learn from them. And for me, there's also been the element of collecting music on physical media, getting the equipment needed to maintain it and play it, and learning all about how to do all of that. And you are spending as many hours as possible actually streaming. When I started out, I think I was trying to stream 20 hours per week. I've since settled in to 8-12 hours per week on average, but as I said earlier, I've still been putting considerable “off air” time into streamer things.

While I have been excited and passionate about this streaming hobby and found some meaning and purpose in it, I have felt that something is off. But I knew that because I was in it so deeply, I couldn't really see or understand how and why I felt that way.

I needed a break. So I decided to observe Lent for the first time in my life. And the thing I chose to give up? Twitch.

I'm a Christian, but my church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) doesn't officially observe Lent, although it does encourage us to develop our own Christ-centered Easter traditions in our families and make it as important and special a season as Christmas. I have Roman Catholic relatives, so I decided this year I would observe Lent with them for the first time in my life.

One of the Lenten traditions is to give up or abstain from a pleasure or a vice or something you very much enjoy, and to replace it with something that will help you grow personally and spiritually and draw you closer to Jesus Christ. For the nearly seven weeks of Lent this year, I chose to give up Twitch – both as a viewer and streamer – along with all non-religious or faith-promoting “video entertainments” (video games, movies, TV, YouTube, etc.). Instead of doing those things, I have been reading books (a lot of books), writing, spending time with family, going to the temple, and quite a bit of thinking and praying. Three weeks in, I feel as if I'm beginning to wake up from a technological coma.

Before Lent, I had already started to make some changes in other digital areas of my life. I had deleted (not deactivated, completely deleted) all of my Meta accounts – Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and WhatsApp. I hadn't been using Twitter for years but deleted that account, too, for good measure. I deleted other distracting apps from my phone like video streaming apps (I haven't had games on my phone for years – that's at least one thing I've been able to be consistent with). I have a feeling that I might eventually be giving up video games again and even Twitch before this latest purge is over.

If this digital detox process sounds familiar, it's because I have gone through this many times and written about it on this very blog, as I said at the beginning of this post. Can you relate? The pendulum always seems to eventually swing back and I eventually end up indulging in all the distractions and entertainments again. But I will keep trying. Because I know I need to change. Each time I relapse, things get worse.

If you are fighting the same struggle, know that you are not alone. The fight is worth it because we are not only fighting our own impulsive nature, we are fighting massive technology companies who have invested billions upon billions of dollars and thousands upon thousands of man hours in developing ways to make the technology we use extremely addictive and to influence our thoughts and behavior – all to monetize and profit from us. I won't elaborate on this any further here, but volumes have already been written about it and I encourage you to explore this topic on your own. Suffice it to say, we have to be vigilant and persistent.

I am currently reading the book Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport – this is a good place to start if you want to know more about how addictive modern technology can be and what you can do about it. Newport writes about the phenomenon of people trying to make these kinds of changes in their lives – cutting out social media, getting rid of smartphones, etc. – only to eventually give in and revert back to their distractions. So he makes the case that we must first embrace and ground ourselves in a philosophy – in this case Digital Minimalism – if we hope to make permanent changes. The change must come from inside not outside. I'm going to sincerely try to embrace and live Digital Minimalism, but I'm going beyond that in conjunction with Lent. I'm trying to also embrace and ground myself in my faith and appeal to a higher power – to God – for additional help.

I feel like I am still waking up from this latest technological coma, but in the remaining weeks of Lent, I hope to establish a good foundation for permanent personal change. Change that I will try my hardest – with God's help – to maintain well beyond Easter.

There are other related ideas and topics I've been thinking about during this time – I hope to be able to articulate them in future posts. And I will try to give you an update after Easter on how things went and my plans going forward.

Discuss...

#faith #tech #DigitalMinimalism #media #SocialMedia

In this talk, President Nelson taught:

What does it mean to overcome the world? It means overcoming the temptation to care more about the things of this world than the things of God. It means trusting the doctrine of Christ more than the philosophies of men. It means delighting in truth, denouncing deception, and becoming “humble followers of Christ.” It means choosing to refrain from anything that drives the Spirit away. It means being willing to “give away” even our favorite sins.

Now, overcoming the world certainly does not mean becoming perfect in this life, nor does it mean that your problems will magically evaporate—because they won’t. And it does not mean that you won’t still make mistakes. But overcoming the world does mean that your resistance to sin will increase. Your heart will soften as your faith in Jesus Christ increases. Overcoming the world means growing to love God and His Beloved Son more than you love anyone or anything else.

This past weekend, in the April 2023 General Conference, Elder Evan A. Schmutz elaborated on what it means to trust the doctrine of Christ. This part in particular resonated with me in light of the changes I have been trying to make recently with respect to the quantity and quality of media I consume:

If we trust the doctrine of Christ, we will set aside the shiny things of the world so that we can focus on the Redeemer of the world. We will limit or eliminate time spent on social media, digital games, wasteful, excessive, or inappropriate entertainment, the allure of this world's treasures and vanities, and any other activities that give place to the false traditions and misguided philosophies of men. It is only in Christ we find truth and lasting fulfillment.

Countless times have I succumbed to “the allure of this world's treasures and vanities.” In the moment, they provide entertainment, distraction, even a sense of purpose or belonging. But not only are the world's treasures and vanities unfulfilling, they are fleeting.

Recreation and relaxation are important for our health. But if I am honest with myself, much of my video watching and video gaming screen time has been excessive. I think of just one of the video games I was addicted to in the past. I have spent the equivalent of more than three months of my life – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week – playing this game. And aside from a few fun memories playing this game with my brothers, I have nothing in the real world to show for it. That's time I can never get back. Time I could have spent learning a new skill, developing a new talent, volunteering in the community, strengthening my relationships with family and friends, reading, writing, praying, studying, etc. And how many other video games have I been addicted to over the years! How many TV shows and movies have I binged! Collectively, I have lost years of time to these hollow pursuits.

I must change. I must be more moderate and intentional in how I use my time for entertainment, recreation, relaxation, and otherwise.

Because at the end of my mortal life, I don't want to be known and remembered for the world's treasures I accumulated or the world's vanities I pursued. That's not the kind of legacy I want to leave behind.

Discuss...

#faith #ChurchOfJesusChrist #life #media #intentionism #DigitalMinimalism

I have listened to podcasts off and on in the past, but I don't listen to them with any regularity. As with any other kind of media, the quality and content can vary from educational and inspiring on one end to mind-numbing garbage on the other. Most of the podcasts I have listened to in the past have been produced by my church – The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints – although I have listened to and enjoyed others.

I will treat podcasts the same as I will treat television: two hours or less per week for podcasts intended to entertain or distract, no time limits on clearly educational or religious podcasts.

Also, I don't listen to or watch overtly political content at all. It has become too toxic and contentious.

#media #DigitalMinimalism #intentionism

Earlier this week I decided I needed to drastically cut back on the amount of social, news, and entertainment media (including video games) I was consuming. In my free time, I decided to finish reading The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers, the wonderful biography of a man I have considered a role model and mentor since childhood. I have also focused more on personal prayer and scripture study.

The improvement in my mental and emotional state within just a few days has been remarkable. I've also been sleeping better. And as I have learned some things about the remarkable Fred Rogers, I have learned some things about myself.

One thing I have always known about myself, but am becoming more perceptive of with respect to its impact on my mental and emotional state, is that I am extremely sensitive to the influence of electronic media. Perhaps more sensitive than most. I have always had the ability to recall and replay visual and especially auditory media in my mind with a high degree of detail and accuracy. I have an excellent music memory. Recently, I was reminded of a music album I had listened to on cassette tape a great deal in my childhood, but never since. As I remembered this album, I could recall music from the album with startling detail in my mind. I recently rediscovered this particular album on Apple Music and, as I listened to it for the first time in decades, it sounded just as it had in my mind.

To varying degrees, we are all influenced by media. I don't think most of us realize just how much.

Earlier in my career, a previous employer gave each employee a card on which the following was written:

Watch your thoughts, they become words; Watch your words, they become actions; Watch your actions, they become habits; Watch your habits, they become character; Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.

The media we consume has the power to influence what we think and, therefore, our behavior, our character, and our destiny.

Fred Rogers understood this. He saw the tremendous potential of television to be a powerful influence for good – or for evil – in human society. He figured out a way to use television to help and educate young children in a marvelous way. Ironically – or perhaps not so ironically – although he created one of the most popular and beloved children's television shows of all time, which aired for 30 minutes each weekday for decades, Rogers himself rarely watched television. According to his biography, as a young man he'd watch The Alfred Hitchcock Hour once a week – but only the beginning where Hitchcock would speak directly to the audience, then he'd turn the TV off. At one point he also removed the radio from his car. Later, as he and his wife Joanne were raising their two sons, they limited their television time to one hour a day.

Today, we are swimming in more media – and more mediums for its delivery – than ever before. And I feel like most of us are drowning in it without even realizing it. It's influencing our thoughts and behaviors in ways we don't fully perceive.

Just this past week, there was a horrific school shooting in Nashville, Tennessee. It's been one of the top stories on every national and local news outlet the entire week. It has been sensationalized in news and social media – rehashing every morbid detail, frequently displaying the pictures of those who were killed. But even more disturbing, putting front and center the name and picture of the shooter who was eventually killed by police, diving into their background and motives, showing text messages the killer sent just before the shooting, showing security and police body camera footage. Naturally, this incident has also been prominent on popular social media networks and has been politicized on all sides. The modern news and social media cycle has become shifting from one outrageous, sensationalized incident to another with no reprieve. It's about capturing as much attention as possible for as long as possible because that's how news outlets and social media “influencers” make money.

Fred Rogers was deeply concerned about the media trends he was seeing in his own day. I can only imagine how horrified he would be with the current state of things. There are still good people trying to do good things through media, but they have long been the exception, not the rule.

I believe our collective obsession with sensational, exploitative, and addictive social, news, and entertainment media is having a detrimental impact on our emotional and mental health and is warping our perspective and sense of reality as a society.

In the face of this, I feel that I need to drastically limit or even eliminate some of the electronic media to which I have become accustomed, perhaps even addicted.

I have already been making significant strides in this direction in recent years. It's time to take the next dramatic step.

• Video Games. I am going to completely quit video games except for social purposes with people I know in real life. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, my brothers and I enjoyed playing the game Valheim together. It was a time for us to socialize virtually and collaborate on something fun together. I will use that example as my standard going forward. I will not play video games by myself again.

• News and Social Media. I will set aside a 30 minute time slot per day to catch up on news and social media. I will not check them outside of that time slot. I have developed a habit of repeatedly checking them throughout the day, and that needs to stop. For me, social media includes Facebook, Twitter, Mastodon, and Discord. One-on-one or small group messaging like texting, Signal, etc. is okay, as that is more personal and intentional interaction with people. But I will still try to limit how often I check anything outside of SMS texts.

• Entertainment Media. I will limit watching videos for entertainment to two hours per week. That means no more binge-watching favorite shows like The Mandalorian or Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. (In fact, I'm concerned that I've become desensitized to violent content and may stop watching those kinds of shows altogether, but that's for another blog post.) I will need to be intentional with how I use that two hours for entertainment videos. I will not limit educational or religious videos (especially since I'm starting school in two weeks), but will try to be aware of when I am watching these excessively as a distraction or to “kill time”. I already don't use TikTok or Instagram, and I will stop watching YouTube shorts, period. They are a time suck and mostly garbage. I will not impose limits on listening to music. I often listen to music while I work, as it helps me focus. And good and uplifting music is healing to my soul. I don't listen to the radio often. But when I do, news and current events programs will be limited to 30 minutes. No limits on music.

• Replacement Activities. It's not enough to just cut back, I need to find good replacement activities to fill the time the cutbacks will free up. I plan to read a lot more books – alternating between fiction and non-fiction. I also feel like I need to get back into music and practice and play an instrument regularly. Another thing I learned about Fred Rogers is his deep love for writing, playing, and sharing music and using it as an outlet for dealing with and expressing feelings and emotions. Many years ago I was studying to be a music teacher. Music was an important part of my life. I've lost that, and I need to get it back. I also think I need more real-life social activity, so I am going to look for ways to cultivate that. Have the neighbors over, make friends, etc.

It is my hope that limiting and being more intentional about the media I consume will help me be more stable mentally and emotionally, have a healthier perspective on life, and feel better about myself and others.

#media #SocialMedia #life #DigitalMinimalism #intentionism

At the very end of 2022, I decided to try an experiment with an unconventional smartphone – the tiny Unihertz Jelly 2E. Here are my impressions and takeaways.

A refresh of the older Jelly 2, the Jelly 2E is the smallest smartphone I have ever used, sporting a 3” display. It may be small in stature, but it's a fully functional Android phone running Android 12 and it can mostly do everything other Android phones can do.

And when I saw it on sale over the holidays and was able to snag it for $144 USD, I figured I'd give it a try.

The 3” screen has a resolution of 480 × 854 pixels and is just fine for what it is. Everything is crisp and clear, just smaller.

The phone is small, but thick at 95 × 49.4 × 16.5 mm. The thickness is welcome – if it was any thinner it'd be very difficult to keep from dropping it. In fact, they even include a wrist strap if you want to use it!

It has a dual sim card slot – those seem to be more popular overseas. It's a feature I've never used, but always nice to have the option.

With 4GB of RAM I have never experienced any slowdowns, and 64GB of storage is more than adequate for my needs. But having the option to add a Micro SD card to expand the storage if I want to is quite welcome.

Phone calls are loud and clear. Even the speakerphone has worked well in a pinch.

The cameras (8mp front, 16mp rear) work fine and are not terrible, but don't expect iPhone or Pixel quality. I don't take many photos, so it's not a big deal to me.

The rear fingerprint sensor has been hit or miss for me. It works most of the time after a few attempts – only occasionally on the first attempt. Not a deal-breaker but noticeable.

In addition to all the standard features we've come to expect in smartphones like GPS, WiFi, front and rear cameras, etc., it also has a couple features that have inexplicably disappeared from so-called “modern” smartphones like a dedicated 3.5 mm audio jack, programmable action button, and even an IR blaster. I can't tell you how satisfying it has been to just plug my earbuds in or connect my phone to my sound system sans Bluetooth without having to look for a dongle.

The main reason I got this phone was to promote digital minimalism – to help curb the long-ingrained impulse to absent-mindedly pick up my phone and distract myself. And for the most part, it has worked.

It's definitely more difficult to type anything on the minuscule keyboard, so that alone is a huge deterrent to using it for lengthy emails, texts, etc. unless I'm truly desperate.

And I refuse to install social media apps on my phone, preferring to use a browser instead. Doing so on a phone that small is pretty agonizing, too, so with the exception of using mbasic.facebook.com a couple times, I haven't used social media on this phone at all.

But while my overall smartphone use has decreased, my computer use has increased to compensate. For example, rather than typing texts on my phone, I usually type them on a computer using the Google Messages web app (unless I am out and away from a computer). Same with my IM apps, emails, social media posts, etc.

The biggest gripe I have is that a couple a couple apps I've wanted to use have not worked. Skype just crashes immediately after launch. Gmail worked fine for a few days, then also started crashing immediately after launch. I switched to K-9 Mail and it works great. I expect there are more apps that might not work, as they are not optimized for the unconventional screen size and hardware, but thankfully there are alternatives to most apps that work just fine.

Another semi-gripe is that notifications don't seem to work for many apps. This might be due to my own lack of experience with Android 12 – I'm sure it's could be a battery optimization thing or some other setting. But it's only a semi-gripe because I usually disable notifications for most apps anyway as a digital minimalism hack. I prefer to check social media and other things on my own terms, not because that little notification tone went off. But I have missed some time-sensitive messages on instant messaging apps and that's a bit annoying.

But overall, this phone has been a delight to use and a great conversation starter (mostly people laughing and looking at me like I have two heads, but coming around as I talk to them about it and explain my reasons for using it). I love that a device so compact can do so much and do it as well as it does. If you are looking for something to help curb your smartphone use without giving up the important and useful features of a smartphone when you truly need them, give the Jelly 2E a try.

#tech #DigitalMinimalism #intentionism #smartphones

If it was just me planning and keeping track of my own stuff and not having to take anyone else into consideration, I could totally go all-in with paper planners. But the challenge is coordinating schedules with my wife and son.

We have used iCloud calendars to track appointments and events. We each have our own calendars, but we have shared them with each other so we can all see what each of us has going on. Every Sunday we get together and review our calendars together and talk about the week ahead. Whenever a change is made to an event or an event is added to one of our calendars, the others get notified and they can see the change reflected immediately. This system has worked well for us for several years.

I have been maintaining both my paper planner and my iCloud calendar this week. But if I stop updating my iCloud calendar, that means my wife and son will have to account for my own calendar events themselves in our weekly calendaring sessions, and I will have to somehow account for important events on their calendars in my paper planner. It also means that we would need to orally communicate any important changes or updates to our calendars throughout the week.

We could have a family paper planner or calendar, but then that means recording events in multiple places and running the risk of one of those places not being accurate. Things could fall through the cracks and there would be more opportunities for miscommunication. Could we make it work? Sure. But it creates more work for all of us without really adding any value.

In short, my using a paper planner while my wife and son still rely on electronic calendars decreases flexibility and impedes our ability to communicate and coordinate our schedules.

I don't think it makes sense for me to stop updating my iCloud calendar, but it also doesn't make sense for me to maintain both an electronic and paper planner at the same time. So I think I'm going to halt my paper planner experiment.

Another quirk that factored into this decision is that my paper planner doesn't have enough time slots each day for my schedule. It has slots in hourly increments from 8am to 8pm. But I wake up at 6am and go to bed at 10pm. I want the ability to account for all of my waking time if I desire down to 30 minute increments. I'm sure I could find a paper planner that would be exactly what I'm looking for, but it's a moot point. I've decided to keep using an electronic calendar, and they are much more flexible in that regard.

I want to continue to focus on planning better, and I do believe there are benefits to writing things down on paper in terms of organizing thoughts and planning things. So instead of using a dedicated paper planner, I will use a regular notebook to jot down events to remember, draft daily or weekly schedules, as needed, and then input things into my electronic calendar as the final “source of truth”.

Discuss...

#planning #tech #intentionism #LessConvenient #DigitalMinimalism

Before, I had two tables arranged in an L shape to form a single “desk”. Now those tables are separated. One table is for all the digital technology I use – the “Online Table”. The other table is the “Offline Table” and strictly for tasks such as research, study, planning, writing, and meditation – anything that doesn't require me to be looking at a screen.

With the Online Table, I have purposely tried to pare down and consolidate all the digital technology I personally and exclusively use so that it fits on this single table. I now have only one display – my trusty old Dynex 32” 720p LCD TV. This is the only display my desktop PC is connected to. The TV is connected to a KVM switch so I can also use it as an external display for my work or personal laptops, if needed. I adopted a single monitor workflow a couple years ago, so no worries, here. My laptops are stored in a vertical dual laptop stand beside the TV when not in use. I also have a small audio receiver and two speakers, a dual SATA USB 3.0 HDD/SSD dock, and a wireless keyboard and mouse. All of this fits on a single table.

The Offline Table is where I will keep a paper planner, notebooks, writing utensils, books, and other related materials. It is where I will write letters, brainstorm ideas, study scriptures, and generally “disconnect” from technology.

These tables are physically separate from one another for both symbolic and practical reasons. This is just one of the many changes I will be making in the coming days and weeks to help promote a healthier relationship with technology.

Discuss...

#tech #intentionism #DigitalMinimalism #HomeOffice

I want to make some changes to my life with respect to how I use my time and how I interact with digital technology. I thought it might be good to have a blog dedicated to documenting my experiences and things I am learning in these areas.

I came up with a couple different ideas.

The Digital Minimalist (digitalminimalist.org) – This blog would be limited in focus to digital minimalism – the intentional use of digital technologies and stopping the addictive behaviors in which many have become trapped. Topics could include strategies for intentional smartphone use and good non-digital alternatives for performing specific tasks.

Less Convenient (lessconvenient.com) – This blog would be broader in scope than The Digital Minimalist. It would include digital minimalism but would also explore the concept of the often ignored and unseen negative consequences of using technologies and engaging in behaviors that are supposed to make our lives more convenient. For example, the pervasive use of automobiles for transportation in North America has had some serious negative consequences in the way we build infrastructure, environmental impact, and public safety. It would promote the value of doing certain things in a less convenient, more intentional way.

Of course, I could just continue posting about these things right here on my personal blog.

Right now I'm leaning towards the Less Convenient idea. I feel like digital minimalism is getting a lot of attention these days and Less Convenient would have a lot more potential ground to cover in addition to that.

Discuss...

#writing #DigitalMinimalism #intentionism

The delay is understandable. Package delivery is always delayed around the holidays, but this year some intense winter weather has been negatively impacting air and ground transportation all over the country.

So I don't mind long shipping times. The only expectations I have for this phone are that it will work with my carrier and will make me want to use a smartphone less.

I'm excited to thoroughly try it out and share my impressions. Hopefully it will arrive before the end of the year so I can start 2023 off on the right foot on my journey to more intentional technology use.

Discuss...

#100DaysToOffload (No. 97) #tech #smartphones #DigitalMinimalism #intentionism