writing &mdash; Dallineation https://dallincrump.com/tag:writing A personal weblog. Thu, 30 Apr 2026 10:17:24 +0000 https://i.snap.as/Xmr1St6g.ico writing &mdash; Dallineation https://dallincrump.com/tag:writing A Technology-free Space at Home https://dallincrump.com/a-technology-free-space-at-home?pk_campaign=rss-feed <![CDATA[To help encourage and facilitate intentional use of technology, I've declared my bedroom a technology-free space. None of my devices with screens will "live" in that room anymore. !--more-- I had a 720p flat screen TV in there with a Roku, blu-ray player, VCR, VHS tape rewinder, and some VHS tapes. I moved all of that into my office. I put the devices on a small TV stand, and the tapes into one of the cubes in my Kallax shelves. I moved one of the three desks (IKEA tables which I had positioned to form a large L-shaped desk) from my office into my bedroom where the TV used to be. When I want to read, study, write, or just think without being distracted by or tempted to use a device with a screen, the bedroom desk will be my go-to place of refuge. I may take devices to the bedroom desk with me when I need them for something intentional - like using the internet for research or study, or listening to a podcast - but I will not keep any chargers in there. When I'm done using them, all devices will be returned to my office, which is where they will "live" from now on. I hope this will help me to be more intentional about how I use technology at home, and I look forward to breaking the habits of checking my phone first thing in the morning, using my phone in bed, and watching TV in bed. a href="https://remark.as/p/dallincrump.com/a-technology-free-space-at-home"Discuss.../a #100DaysToOffload (No. 122) #tech #intentionism #HomeOffice #LessConvenient #writing]]> To help encourage and facilitate intentional use of technology, I've declared my bedroom a technology-free space. None of my devices with screens will “live” in that room anymore.

I had a 720p flat screen TV in there with a Roku, blu-ray player, VCR, VHS tape rewinder, and some VHS tapes. I moved all of that into my office. I put the devices on a small TV stand, and the tapes into one of the cubes in my Kallax shelves.

I moved one of the three desks (IKEA tables which I had positioned to form a large L-shaped desk) from my office into my bedroom where the TV used to be.

When I want to read, study, write, or just think without being distracted by or tempted to use a device with a screen, the bedroom desk will be my go-to place of refuge.

I may take devices to the bedroom desk with me when I need them for something intentional – like using the internet for research or study, or listening to a podcast – but I will not keep any chargers in there. When I'm done using them, all devices will be returned to my office, which is where they will “live” from now on.

I hope this will help me to be more intentional about how I use technology at home, and I look forward to breaking the habits of checking my phone first thing in the morning, using my phone in bed, and watching TV in bed.

Discuss...

#100DaysToOffload (No. 122) #tech #intentionism #HomeOffice #LessConvenient #writing

]]> https://dallincrump.com/a-technology-free-space-at-home Thu, 01 Jan 2026 22:14:50 +0000 Another 100 Days To Offload https://dallincrump.com/another-100-days-to-offload?pk_campaign=rss-feed <![CDATA[I feel the need to get back into the habit of writing regularly. And I can't think of a better way to do it than to take the 100 Days to Offload challenge a second time. !--more-- The 100 Days to Offload challenge is simple: publish 100 posts on your personal blog within one year. You can start any time, you just need to do 100 posts within 365 days. It's simple, but it's not as easy to accomplish as you might think. I started my first challenge in January 2022 and completed it in December 2022 with one day to spare. There was a stretch of several months where I didn't post at all and had pretty much abandoned the idea. But somehow I found my way back to blogging and earned my spot on the Hall of Fame. I have written with less consistency since then. Much has happened in my life and in the world. And to be honest, I'm in a worse mental and emotional state now. But looking back, the times when I have felt the best mentally have been the times when I was writing the most. I don't know if my desire to write flowed from or contributed to my good mental health, but I want to see if writing helps me now. I think writing is good for me in a number of ways. Writing is intentional. It requires focus, effort, attention. It is not passive. Writing helps quiet the mind and organize thoughts. Sometimes I have so many ideas and thoughts rattling around in my mind it's difficult to make any sense of them or hash them out. Writing is often a way for me to get those thoughts and ideas in print so I can work through them and see if they actually make any sense. Writing is a good creative outlet. It allows me to express myself. To dream and wonder in print. Making things and sharing them with others brings meaning and purpose to life. Writing personal blog posts is almost like keeping a journal. Like blogging, I have never been consistent about keeping a personal journal. But I'm thankful for what little journaling I have done and to be able to read old entries and remember and learn. Everything I post in this blog is captured in my personal Day One journal thanks to IFTTT. So here's to the next 99 posts as part of my second 100 Days To Offload challenge. If you have a personal blog, would you like to take up this challenge, too? a href="https://remark.as/p/dallincrump.com/another-100-days-to-offload"Discuss.../a 100DaysToOffload (No. 101) writing]]> I feel the need to get back into the habit of writing regularly. And I can't think of a better way to do it than to take the 100 Days to Offload challenge a second time.

The 100 Days to Offload challenge is simple: publish 100 posts on your personal blog within one year. You can start any time, you just need to do 100 posts within 365 days. It's simple, but it's not as easy to accomplish as you might think.

I started my first challenge in January 2022 and completed it in December 2022 with one day to spare. There was a stretch of several months where I didn't post at all and had pretty much abandoned the idea. But somehow I found my way back to blogging and earned my spot on the Hall of Fame.

I have written with less consistency since then. Much has happened in my life and in the world. And to be honest, I'm in a worse mental and emotional state now. But looking back, the times when I have felt the best mentally have been the times when I was writing the most. I don't know if my desire to write flowed from or contributed to my good mental health, but I want to see if writing helps me now.

I think writing is good for me in a number of ways.

Writing is intentional. It requires focus, effort, attention. It is not passive.

Writing helps quiet the mind and organize thoughts. Sometimes I have so many ideas and thoughts rattling around in my mind it's difficult to make any sense of them or hash them out. Writing is often a way for me to get those thoughts and ideas in print so I can work through them and see if they actually make any sense.

Writing is a good creative outlet. It allows me to express myself. To dream and wonder in print. Making things and sharing them with others brings meaning and purpose to life.

Writing personal blog posts is almost like keeping a journal. Like blogging, I have never been consistent about keeping a personal journal. But I'm thankful for what little journaling I have done and to be able to read old entries and remember and learn. Everything I post in this blog is captured in my personal Day One journal thanks to IFTTT.

So here's to the next 99 posts as part of my second 100 Days To Offload challenge.

If you have a personal blog, would you like to take up this challenge, too?

Discuss...

#100DaysToOffload (No. 101) #writing

]]> https://dallincrump.com/another-100-days-to-offload Thu, 13 Nov 2025 04:12:44 +0000 A Return to Writing https://dallincrump.com/a-return-to-writing?pk_campaign=rss-feed <![CDATA[One of the things that I have enjoyed about taking my first Lenten journey this year is rediscovering my love of writing. !--more-- My desire to write flows from taking time each day to contemplate, read, and study. Before Lent, I had filled every free moment with mindless distractions and entertainments, so I had almost no desire to write. But now I feel almost compelled to write. Not only to record and share what I'm thinking and learning, but as an exercise that helps crystallize and organize those thoughts. It's similar to "thinking out loud" when you're talking through something with another person, except this is thinking on paper? Thinking in text? This blog is an excellent outlet for my writing, but I have also taken up keeping a personal journal again, too. This past Sunday I re-subscribed to Day One and wrote an actual journal entry for the first time in almost two years. And I reactivated my IFTTT applet that automatically adds posts from this blog as journal entries in my Day One journal, so everything I write here is captured for posterity. I'm hoping I can keep the distractions in check permanently this time. Although they require time and intention, I have found writing, reading, contemplation, and other such activities to be illuminating and more fulfilling than playing a video game or mindlessly scrolling social media. a href="https://remark.as/p/dallincrump.com/a-return-to-writing"Discuss.../a #writing #intentionism]]> One of the things that I have enjoyed about taking my first Lenten journey this year is rediscovering my love of writing.

My desire to write flows from taking time each day to contemplate, read, and study. Before Lent, I had filled every free moment with mindless distractions and entertainments, so I had almost no desire to write.

But now I feel almost compelled to write. Not only to record and share what I'm thinking and learning, but as an exercise that helps crystallize and organize those thoughts. It's similar to “thinking out loud” when you're talking through something with another person, except this is thinking on paper? Thinking in text?

This blog is an excellent outlet for my writing, but I have also taken up keeping a personal journal again, too. This past Sunday I re-subscribed to Day One and wrote an actual journal entry for the first time in almost two years.

And I reactivated my IFTTT applet that automatically adds posts from this blog as journal entries in my Day One journal, so everything I write here is captured for posterity.

I'm hoping I can keep the distractions in check permanently this time. Although they require time and intention, I have found writing, reading, contemplation, and other such activities to be illuminating and more fulfilling than playing a video game or mindlessly scrolling social media.

Discuss...

#writing #intentionism

]]> https://dallincrump.com/a-return-to-writing Fri, 18 Apr 2025 16:09:47 +0000 New Blog Ideas https://dallincrump.com/new-blog-ideas?pk_campaign=rss-feed <![CDATA[I've been trying the "one blog to rule them all" method of blogging for a couple years now - posting about a variety of topics on a single blog. But I've been thinking about starting an additional blog with a specific focus. !--more-- 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. a href="https://remark.as/p/dallincrump.com/new-blog-ideas"Discuss.../a --- #writing #DigitalMinimalism #intentionism]]> I've been trying the “one blog to rule them all” method of blogging for a couple years now – posting about a variety of topics on a single blog. But I've been thinking about starting an additional blog with a specific focus.

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

]]> https://dallincrump.com/new-blog-ideas Sat, 31 Dec 2022 22:41:45 +0000 Offload Complete? https://dallincrump.com/offload-complete?pk_campaign=rss-feed <![CDATA[On January 1 of this year (2022), I decided to take up the 100 Days To Offload challenge. The premise is simple: publish one hundred posts to your blog within one year. I publish this, my one hundredth post, with one day to spare. !--more-- For a good part of the year, I had all but given up on it. I started out pretty strong, then lost steam and didn't post for months. I was ready to throw this endeavor in the metaphorical (and massive) "Things Dallin started but never finished" bin in my mind. But for some reason, I decided to push through. There were many times when I was drawing a complete blank and couldn't think of anything to write - interesting or not. But I somehow I got it done. One thing that helped me is my decision earlier in the year to keep a journal again. Thanks to the magic of IFTTT, I capture my blog posts as journal entries via the Day One mobile app. So I had some addition incentive to write something every day to ensure I continue my daily journal entry streak (148 days and counting). Another thing that has helped me in the final stretch these past two weeks has been my news and social media fast. The more distracted and riled up I am, the less focus I am able to maintain on writing. News and social media are huge sources of distraction and anxiety for me. I won't say writing has been effortless during this fast, but the ideas and motivation to write have been much more attainable. One thing I wish I had done differently is to post consistently throughout the year instead of procrastinate and have to post once or more per day just to squeak by. I'd like to be able to put more time and thought into some of the things I write about rather than just brain dump each day and not really have a chance to dive deeper into things that really interest me. It should have been two to three posts per week rather than one or more posts per day. Regardless, the most rewarding thing about this experience is the satisfaction and self-confidence that come from finishing a task that has been long and at times difficult. This has been an amazing experience for me, and I hope to continue to build on this momentum and keep writing. That's why the title of this post is a question. Perhaps I'll repeat in 2023? If you've ever thought about taking this challenge, I highly recommend it. a href="https://remark.as/p/dallincrump.com/offload-complete"Discuss.../a --- 100DaysToOffload (No. 100) writing]]> On January 1 of this year (2022), I decided to take up the 100 Days To Offload challenge. The premise is simple: publish one hundred posts to your blog within one year. I publish this, my one hundredth post, with one day to spare.

For a good part of the year, I had all but given up on it. I started out pretty strong, then lost steam and didn't post for months. I was ready to throw this endeavor in the metaphorical (and massive) “Things Dallin started but never finished” bin in my mind.

But for some reason, I decided to push through. There were many times when I was drawing a complete blank and couldn't think of anything to write – interesting or not. But I somehow I got it done.

One thing that helped me is my decision earlier in the year to keep a journal again. Thanks to the magic of IFTTT, I capture my blog posts as journal entries via the Day One mobile app. So I had some addition incentive to write something every day to ensure I continue my daily journal entry streak (148 days and counting).

Another thing that has helped me in the final stretch these past two weeks has been my news and social media fast. The more distracted and riled up I am, the less focus I am able to maintain on writing. News and social media are huge sources of distraction and anxiety for me. I won't say writing has been effortless during this fast, but the ideas and motivation to write have been much more attainable.

One thing I wish I had done differently is to post consistently throughout the year instead of procrastinate and have to post once or more per day just to squeak by. I'd like to be able to put more time and thought into some of the things I write about rather than just brain dump each day and not really have a chance to dive deeper into things that really interest me. It should have been two to three posts per week rather than one or more posts per day.

Regardless, the most rewarding thing about this experience is the satisfaction and self-confidence that come from finishing a task that has been long and at times difficult.

This has been an amazing experience for me, and I hope to continue to build on this momentum and keep writing. That's why the title of this post is a question. Perhaps I'll repeat in 2023?

If you've ever thought about taking this challenge, I highly recommend it.

Discuss...

#100DaysToOffload (No. 100) #writing

]]> https://dallincrump.com/offload-complete Fri, 30 Dec 2022 21:12:26 +0000 Topics https://dallincrump.com/topics?pk_campaign=rss-feed <![CDATA[To see posts related to a topic, just click on a hashtag below. You can subscribe to specific topics using an RSS reader. Topics of Focus faith - thoughts related to my religion tech - self explanatory Other Topics 100DaysToOffload accessories AI automobiles Bandcamp books business cassette charity Christianity Christmas ChurchOfJesusChrist climate community compactDisc contention COVID19 decentralization DigitalMinimalism economy electronicMusic EveryDayCarry eWaste family FOSS (free-as-in-freedom and open source software) friends gratitude haiku health hobbies HomeOffice humor intentionism internet laptop LessConvenient libraryMusic life Linux loneliness media meditation mentalHealth misc movies music news nostalgia physicalMedia planning poetry politics privacy prophets retro smartphones SocialMedia synthwave travel TV Twitch unity (not the game engine) Utah vaporwave writing]]> To see posts related to a topic, just click on a hashtag below. You can subscribe to specific topics using an RSS reader.

Topics of Focus

#faith – thoughts related to my religion #tech – self explanatory

Other Topics

#100DaysToOffload #accessories #AI #automobiles #Bandcamp #books #business #cassette #charity #Christianity #Christmas #ChurchOfJesusChrist #climate #community #compactDisc #contention #COVID19 #decentralization #DigitalMinimalism #economy #electronicMusic #EveryDayCarry #eWaste #family #FOSS (free-as-in-freedom and open source software) #friends #gratitude #haiku #health #hobbies #HomeOffice #humor #intentionism #internet #laptop #LessConvenient #libraryMusic #life #Linux #loneliness #media #meditation #mentalHealth #misc #movies #music #news #nostalgia #physicalMedia #planning #poetry #politics #privacy #prophets #retro #smartphones #SocialMedia #synthwave #travel #TV #Twitch #unity (not the game engine) #Utah #vaporwave #writing

]]> https://dallincrump.com/topics Sat, 13 Mar 2021 23:20:27 +0000