Giving myself space to think

I'm in one of my dumbphone phases, and it feels good. Ever since I purchased my first smartphone I have often alternated between smartphones and dumbphones. My first smartphone was a Samsung Galaxy S2. I don't remember when I purchased that phone, but it changed my life for the worse. And every smartphone I've had since has been a bad move in many ways. 

I'm not going to going on a rant about smartphones being pure evil. It's not my responsibility to decide which tools, technology, and equipment that other people should use. Everyone needs to figure that out for themselves. Similarly, the world has no place telling me which things I should use. 

Despite all of the wonderful features and conveniences that a smartphone can bring to my life, the math doesn't add up. There's the cost of the phone and a decent data plan to make the most of it. There are privacy concerns, because without good cyber security habits then a smartphone might be a weak point.  But the biggest issue is the time wasted. 

There is a lot of advice to help phone users to keep their screen time in check. I might have tried every strategy that exists, or come close to it. I have also failed and using raw willpower to change my phone habits, and it doesn't work for long. I have even tried coaching myself and re-framing my relationship with my phone to think of it merely as a tool. None of it has lasted. The only strategy that has consistently helped me in reducing screen time is to switch to a dumbphone, and to access the internet on a computer. 

I know it's not a perfect strategy for everyone. Plenty of people would be merely shifting their screen time from one device to another. But it works well for me. I somehow manage to keep my computer time to a low level. And I feel better for the arrangement. 

More spare time. Less stress. 

There's space to think, which can be uncomfortable if you haven't sat in silence for a while doing absolutely nothing else. It gives me a moment to notice the concerns in my mind, the tension in my body, and the emotions which I often ignore. All of those things are important channels of information. Ignore any of them for too long and life soon flips upside down. 

There is also space for gratitude. Appreciation of simple things like food, water, the necessities of life, the creature comforts, and the beauty of whatever is nearby. Any time that gratitude becomes a habit, life takes on a sweeter flavour.