The Apple Watch
Underestimated Tech for Digital Minimalists?
Hi there,
Today, Matt Jennings is taking over the newsletter, again. Without further ado...
Hey! Matt here again.
It's been a long time since I did my last Tuesday Takeover. Not too much has changed, but I have to admit, the iPhone has crept back into my life. :(
A year ago, I had so much confidence.
After my last post, I thought the freedoms I felt changing to a dumb phone would leave me as a convert for life. Yet unfortunately, the trade-off of convenience for digital detachment was far too great.
I still work on keeping mindful of my technology use. This latest blog post on using an Apple Watch as part of my journey as a digital minimalist is a testament to that. I'll be curious to hear your thoughts, especially those of the purists out there ;)
Anyway, as life goes on, so does my never-ending journey of digital minimalist optimization. Here are 5 new things I’ve been pondering lately:
Since last year I have completed my practitioner training in Neuro-Linguistic Programming. The learnings really opened my eyes to the uniqueness of individual experience and the realization that “my map of the world is not THE map of the world.”
Two people experiencing the same external event can be interpreted entirely differently, internally. And I think it’s worth keeping this in mind when we are challenged or confronted with different views.
The Apple Watch: Underestimated Tech for Digital Minimalists?
This youtube video by Gabe Bult titled ‘10 Things I Buy More of As a Minimalist’ is a good reminder of what the essence of being a minimalist - digital or otherwise - is about. It’s about being intentional about the things that we buy and the gadgets we use, so we can maximize our quality of life. It might mean buying more of the things that - in our own personal opinion - improve our quality of life. And that's ok. As Marie Kondo states "Now imagine yourself living in a space that contains only things that spark joy. Isn't this the lifestyle you dream of?"
Question for you this week: How much time do you spend on your computer? And, can you reduce it by an hour this week?
I know, this is a challenging one for us knowledge workers out there, but lately I’ve realised I spend a lot of my working day ‘online’. I would say my job requires it, but I haven’t really considered the alternatives. How would you work if you only had 4 hours of online time per day? How would you structure your day to achieve the most essential online tasks in a more restricted time block?
Speaking of being more intentional with work. I’ve recently adopted the pomodoro productivity method and now have defined and more restrictive work blocks. For those of you unfamiliar, the Pomodoro technique is where you set a timer for 25 minutes and then take a 5-minute break. After 4x25 minute sessions, you take a longer 30-minute break, then rinse and repeat. In the new world of WFH, I really feel it helps set definite boundaries between work and personal life.
Finally, I have also been more intentional with my Netflix (insert other popular streaming service here) usage lately. It seems two years of being stuck at home during a pandemic has turned us into Netflix addicts (yes, it is now a thing.)
That's all from me. I hope you enjoy, the perhaps, controversial post.
Thank you, Matt! You can find Matt at matjen.com.
That’s all for this week!
Thank you for reading, and please share this newsletter with anyone you think may benefit.
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Until next time,
Mehret