Last weekend I decided to try an experiment in which I didn’t use any screens at all. I made a couple exceptions for some video chat meetings I had already had scheduled with some friends and family, and there were a few very brief things I had to do on my computer for the kids. The kids also mostly participated in the screen free weekend, not altogether voluntarily ;)
Emptiness
I decided to turn my phone entirely off. I powered it down Friday night, and left it on my night stand until Monday morning. I usually keep the same things in my pockets – my wallet in my back right pocket, my phone in my front left pocket, and my keys, coin purse, and Swiss army knife in my front right pocket. It felt very strange to have my left front pocket empty all weekend long.
What did I miss?
I was a bit concerned that I would miss some important texts throughout the weekend, in particular a text about setting up a playdate for the kids, but either we are just not that popular, or Corona is keeping us from doing lots of stuff anyways. I did not miss any important text messages.
What did I do?
Since my day job involves spending the entire day on the computer, I usually unplug somewhat on the weekends anyways, so this weekend was not terribly different than normal, but it was a different level. I did some house cleaning like I normally do, and also spent a bit of time outside. It was somewhat cold, but sunny, so it felt good to get outside. I also did quite a bit of cooking. Sunday I made a big Indian feast. I also spent a bit more time than average reading the newspaper and the Madeleine L’Engle book I have been reading. We played several board and card games as a family, instead of watching movies or tv, which was nice, including the Game of Life and Skyjo.
What did I not do?
Well, obviously, I didn’t look at my phone. There were a number of times where I really felt the urge to look at it. There was one point while I was cooking, and I had a bit of extra time while I was just letting the lentils simmer that I thought to myself, “let me check my email on my phone”, but it wasn’t in my pocket, so instead, I just cleaned up a bit in the kitchen, and kept a close eye on my dal, stirring frequently so that it wouldn’t burn. I don’t keep track of it, which some people do, but I would say that I probably pull my phone out of my pocket less than average, but still more than I really like. If I didn’t need a smart phone for work, I would seriously consider going back to a flip phone. When I was in college, I had to go to a computer lab to check my email, and I did not have a cell phone. I did not have a cell phone until 2001, and the main reason I decided to get a cell phone instead of a land line was because it was cheaper. I was quite skeptical of it though, because I didn’t want to be reachable all the time. I didn’t want to set the expectation that anyone can simply interrupt me at whatever I am doing. I frequently long for the days when people simply made plans and stuck to them. It drives me crazy when I am trying to plan an activity with a friend for a day or two from now, and they tell me to “call me tomorrow.” What is going to change between now and then? Can’t we just plan now!?! I guess I am just feeling old, but I am starting to enjoy being old. But back to the absence of the phone in the pocket. I spent more time doing nothing, thinking nothing, letting my mind drift. There are plenty of TED talks and blog posts about how it is important to let ourselves be bored – that allowing ourselves to be bored sometimes also allows us to concentrate more when we need to. I won’t bore you (pun intended) with all sorts of links to videos and blog posts (mostly because I don’t want to). Even if there is no research, I believe that it is good to keep the phone away and be a bit more present.
Why am I writing about last weekend on Thursday?
Over the weekend, I kept thinking that I might blog about it, but I didn’t want to turn my computer on to do so, since I was trying to be screen-free. And then the week hit, and I was busy on the computer doing stuff for work, and helping the kids with their Zoom meetings and such during Corona home schooling. I kept putting off writing this post, because I didn’t want to spend my free time on a screen. I am doing it now because I made a pledge to myself to blog at least once a week in 2021, and if I don’t publish in the next three hours, then I will lose $5, which is incentive enough to get me to actually write this post. I know it has been sort of long and rambling, but oh well.
Will I do more unplugged time?
I think so. I think I might experiment with keeping my phone out of my pocket – perhaps face down on my desk in my office, since I need it for two-factor authentication and such. There are some things I do like to do to keep myself a bit more tuned in to the real world – I like to watch the news on tv at 8 p.m. for 15 minutes, which gives me a bit of context about what is going on in my country and the world. I enjoy watching a tv show to relax from time to time with the family, or a movie night. Having the entire internet in my pocket is great in many ways, but it can also be very distracting. Supposedly Zoomers have an attention span of 8 seconds. That is a very frightening fact.
