My biggest tip is to seek out a phone with a smaller screen. At some point the cheapest phones went from having smaller screens than the top models to larger and the reason is simple - big screens are more engaging.
I looked for a phone with full smartphone functionality but the smallest possible screen. For the past year I've been rocking a Blackview N6000 which has everything I need in a small form. It's less engaging, less tempting and more of a reassurance than a distraction. It also happens to be fully submersible, tough and have a battery that will last several days - perfect for my adventures.
Your watch tip is great, I've tried to explain this to friends so many times. I started wearing watches again about 3 years ago. I also stick to analogue (and quartz) as it helps me to visualise my time.
I love the notepad idea. I can imagine myself writing a list of all the things I wanted to google during the day, sitting down in the evening to review only to realise how pointless it all was.
Yes, this is an excellent point about smaller screens and one that is often overlooked. I will definitely be adding a 'how to dumbify your smartphone' article to the series. I switched to an iPhone SE for its smaller screen, and have now gone to the even smaller Mudita Kompakt.
What a great issue. I actually just got myself a watch after noticing that same effect of checking the time on my phone then loosing 30 minutes of my life. Thanks for the great story! Keep up the good work.
Will my Moleskine integrate with ChatGPT? ;). I’d add buy a cheap fude style fountain pen - like a $15 dollar Sailor - then get a cheap reliable refillable cartridge for it, then spend a fortune on the coolest ink you can find. (i use Noodler’s - Cactus Fruit and Southwest Sunset. $17 a bottle. But you’ll find you start buying ink everywhere. Aix En Provence. Kyoto. Hamburg. Hobart. So it’s not the ink that’s expensive, it’s the commute.). This makes the notebookery waaaaay more engaging. Plus, the ink stains on your finger tips make you seem much cooler than you are.
Oh boy, fountain pens are a whole other rabbit hole, aren’t they?! I’ll be writing about this in more detail in one of my later deep dives. I have a few different pens in rotation. Tend to stick with Diamine Onyx Black ink, though.
Always a pleasure to read about your thought process. For day to day I swapped to an analogue watch, which had been lying in a drawer for a couple of years, life drained. Now with its new life I am not distracted by the notifications flashing up on my wrist or beating myself up if my step count is low for the day. I still use my Fenix to record runs and hikes, which includes a bit of navigation assistance too. I know how you feel about that but if it's not on Strava did I actually do it?? (tongue in cheek!)
Yes, yes and more yes! I bought an old school watch (men’s Timex expedition) last year mainly for the aesthetics, I really liked the non-girly, brushed aluminium & leather combo, and whilst I wouldn’t say it’s been life changing, it does feel a little rebellious. And as for the paper/pen duo, that’s just a no brainer if you have the attention span of a gnat such as I. And my bonus is that it’s all wrapped up in a beautiful veg-tanned leather journal cover, handmade by myself in my off-screen side hustle. Greta read 👌
A great read. As someone north of 60 working in technology I’ve been part of the drive for convergence and digitisation in several industries but it has not happened so fast or as wide as it has for “personal tech”.
As a hiker convergence has saved me a lot of weight however that is partly offset by the need to carry a couple of batteries however that’s not as much space as many rolls of film.
I am mindful of the constant ping ping ping of notifications on other peoples devices, they can be managed and for me are mostly off. Social Media is not mandatory, my Apple Watch has an analogue face by default.
I keep a journal but it’s a daily entry via Apple pages as I don’t want to be burdened by carrying a notebook everywhere as I often have thoughts I need to capture.
The one thing I find I can’t stop is picking up a physical book. For newspapers and periodicals Readly gets me more content of interest than I could normally afford or find space to store if I had the physical copy.
Great tips. I have a similar field watch which I started wearing every day when I changed the strap to a nato strap. It was comfortable, reliable, and I realised I didn't need it to do anything else. Same with a notebook - I switched to field notes books rather than my phone and loved it. Something lovely about being able to flick back through your thoughts when you fill one up too.
Loving this series Alex, I'm constantly trying to vheck in with myself to monitor my screen use- it spirals so easily when you think you've got it under control and can relax a bit! My good old Casio F-91W is indestructible, even when stuffed inside cracks on climbs, and I'd be utterly lost without my journal. I always go for an expanded classic Moleskine, personalised with the journal number. I love that I can flick back through and not only reread my entries but tell my mood, how tired I was, where I was when I wrote it, by the stains on the pages and the angle/quality of my handwriting. I also love that sometimes they smell faintly of almonds while I write, which I have yet to experience from a smartphone...
These tactile sensory connections are so important, aren't they? For me it's often dead midges I find squashed between pages. This is part of what I mean when I say that smartphones are the void: physical residue such as taste, smell, or other forms of memory from the real world just don't really attach to them. They don't age gracefully and they don't pick up traces of our lives and experiences.
So important, and so true. If you took the case off your phone and deleted the data, nothing would remain to show what kind of life it had had with you.
Very nice article & share most of your sentiments. Too many people have let their smartphone become the 'single point of failure' in their life. Their phone dies & literally they cannot function. We're humans, we can do better than that...
As a recovering technophile, I couldn’t agree more (although I never fell into the trap of a smartwatch… pointless waste of money if you ask me), but I’ve been using my Lochby Field Journal as my trusted system for a year now (planner and a couple of A5 books for various tasks) but have just started carrying a pocket notebook for quick notes.
The Lochby Field Journal almost deserves an entry all of its own in this series. It is my 'big notebook' of choice – have run my work and life from it for several years now. I think a system composed of a big notebook + pocket notebook is the way forward!
I love my Field Journal… true, it’s not cheap, but the value it gives me is worth every penny. Getting the inserts in the UK can be tricky at times, I’ve found - Muji A5 are a nice substitute (I’m a big fan of their lay-flat books).
I really appreciated this article. My wife often reminds me as I’m grinding fresh coffee every night for the next morning that, “Simple isn’t always better.”
I’m terrible at using a notebook when I’m out and about, but I have one upstairs as well as my Casio G shock that seems to always be waiting for me in my junk drawer. I’m pulling both out this morning and putting a new battery in the watch.
Great post. This is something I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about too. I deleted my Facebook and instagram accounts earlier this year, and this has helped a great deal in removing my attention from my device to the real world. There’s a cost to any of these decisions but the benefits now outweigh the negatives.
Alex, this is so refreshing. I love discovering other people going this route, and taking the time to write and talk about why it actually matters to them.
These two simple items — a watch and a notebook — are indeed life changing. And I love the perspective you share on these tools. They are so very useful, and can also be beautiful. It’s my view that all of the best things are in life are better when they are beautiful as well as practical, and the possessions we carry have the ability not just to effect the way we behave, but the way we think.
Thank you for sharing this. I’m looking forward to reading the other posts you publish in this series. (Also thank you for inspiring me to pick up my pen again and keep working on my own piece examining my life without a smartphone. I’ve so many thoughts to share on this, and it’s encouraging to see other people interested in the topic.)
P.S. Peco and Ruth Gaskovski write extensively on this subject, and run two separate Substacks that I think you’d find great value in.
Brilliant read and a topic I'm passionate about.
My biggest tip is to seek out a phone with a smaller screen. At some point the cheapest phones went from having smaller screens than the top models to larger and the reason is simple - big screens are more engaging.
I looked for a phone with full smartphone functionality but the smallest possible screen. For the past year I've been rocking a Blackview N6000 which has everything I need in a small form. It's less engaging, less tempting and more of a reassurance than a distraction. It also happens to be fully submersible, tough and have a battery that will last several days - perfect for my adventures.
Your watch tip is great, I've tried to explain this to friends so many times. I started wearing watches again about 3 years ago. I also stick to analogue (and quartz) as it helps me to visualise my time.
I love the notepad idea. I can imagine myself writing a list of all the things I wanted to google during the day, sitting down in the evening to review only to realise how pointless it all was.
Yes, this is an excellent point about smaller screens and one that is often overlooked. I will definitely be adding a 'how to dumbify your smartphone' article to the series. I switched to an iPhone SE for its smaller screen, and have now gone to the even smaller Mudita Kompakt.
What a great issue. I actually just got myself a watch after noticing that same effect of checking the time on my phone then loosing 30 minutes of my life. Thanks for the great story! Keep up the good work.
Will my Moleskine integrate with ChatGPT? ;). I’d add buy a cheap fude style fountain pen - like a $15 dollar Sailor - then get a cheap reliable refillable cartridge for it, then spend a fortune on the coolest ink you can find. (i use Noodler’s - Cactus Fruit and Southwest Sunset. $17 a bottle. But you’ll find you start buying ink everywhere. Aix En Provence. Kyoto. Hamburg. Hobart. So it’s not the ink that’s expensive, it’s the commute.). This makes the notebookery waaaaay more engaging. Plus, the ink stains on your finger tips make you seem much cooler than you are.
Oh boy, fountain pens are a whole other rabbit hole, aren’t they?! I’ll be writing about this in more detail in one of my later deep dives. I have a few different pens in rotation. Tend to stick with Diamine Onyx Black ink, though.
Yeah, sleek little succubi they are. I’m armed with some high end demonology, but el cheapo fude do the daily grinding - so expressive!
Always a pleasure to read about your thought process. For day to day I swapped to an analogue watch, which had been lying in a drawer for a couple of years, life drained. Now with its new life I am not distracted by the notifications flashing up on my wrist or beating myself up if my step count is low for the day. I still use my Fenix to record runs and hikes, which includes a bit of navigation assistance too. I know how you feel about that but if it's not on Strava did I actually do it?? (tongue in cheek!)
Excellent!!
Yes, yes and more yes! I bought an old school watch (men’s Timex expedition) last year mainly for the aesthetics, I really liked the non-girly, brushed aluminium & leather combo, and whilst I wouldn’t say it’s been life changing, it does feel a little rebellious. And as for the paper/pen duo, that’s just a no brainer if you have the attention span of a gnat such as I. And my bonus is that it’s all wrapped up in a beautiful veg-tanned leather journal cover, handmade by myself in my off-screen side hustle. Greta read 👌
Thanks so much for dropping by!
A great read. As someone north of 60 working in technology I’ve been part of the drive for convergence and digitisation in several industries but it has not happened so fast or as wide as it has for “personal tech”.
As a hiker convergence has saved me a lot of weight however that is partly offset by the need to carry a couple of batteries however that’s not as much space as many rolls of film.
I am mindful of the constant ping ping ping of notifications on other peoples devices, they can be managed and for me are mostly off. Social Media is not mandatory, my Apple Watch has an analogue face by default.
I keep a journal but it’s a daily entry via Apple pages as I don’t want to be burdened by carrying a notebook everywhere as I often have thoughts I need to capture.
The one thing I find I can’t stop is picking up a physical book. For newspapers and periodicals Readly gets me more content of interest than I could normally afford or find space to store if I had the physical copy.
I'm very intrigued to hear your take on deconvergence (which I LOVE as a word btw) in photography, looking forward to it!
Great tips. I have a similar field watch which I started wearing every day when I changed the strap to a nato strap. It was comfortable, reliable, and I realised I didn't need it to do anything else. Same with a notebook - I switched to field notes books rather than my phone and loved it. Something lovely about being able to flick back through your thoughts when you fill one up too.
Loving this series Alex, I'm constantly trying to vheck in with myself to monitor my screen use- it spirals so easily when you think you've got it under control and can relax a bit! My good old Casio F-91W is indestructible, even when stuffed inside cracks on climbs, and I'd be utterly lost without my journal. I always go for an expanded classic Moleskine, personalised with the journal number. I love that I can flick back through and not only reread my entries but tell my mood, how tired I was, where I was when I wrote it, by the stains on the pages and the angle/quality of my handwriting. I also love that sometimes they smell faintly of almonds while I write, which I have yet to experience from a smartphone...
These tactile sensory connections are so important, aren't they? For me it's often dead midges I find squashed between pages. This is part of what I mean when I say that smartphones are the void: physical residue such as taste, smell, or other forms of memory from the real world just don't really attach to them. They don't age gracefully and they don't pick up traces of our lives and experiences.
So important, and so true. If you took the case off your phone and deleted the data, nothing would remain to show what kind of life it had had with you.
Very nice article & share most of your sentiments. Too many people have let their smartphone become the 'single point of failure' in their life. Their phone dies & literally they cannot function. We're humans, we can do better than that...
This. All of this.
As a recovering technophile, I couldn’t agree more (although I never fell into the trap of a smartwatch… pointless waste of money if you ask me), but I’ve been using my Lochby Field Journal as my trusted system for a year now (planner and a couple of A5 books for various tasks) but have just started carrying a pocket notebook for quick notes.
The Lochby Field Journal almost deserves an entry all of its own in this series. It is my 'big notebook' of choice – have run my work and life from it for several years now. I think a system composed of a big notebook + pocket notebook is the way forward!
I love my Field Journal… true, it’s not cheap, but the value it gives me is worth every penny. Getting the inserts in the UK can be tricky at times, I’ve found - Muji A5 are a nice substitute (I’m a big fan of their lay-flat books).
Couldn’t agree more about wearing watches!
Alex,
I really appreciated this article. My wife often reminds me as I’m grinding fresh coffee every night for the next morning that, “Simple isn’t always better.”
I’m terrible at using a notebook when I’m out and about, but I have one upstairs as well as my Casio G shock that seems to always be waiting for me in my junk drawer. I’m pulling both out this morning and putting a new battery in the watch.
Thank you this.
You’re most welcome!
Great post. This is something I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about too. I deleted my Facebook and instagram accounts earlier this year, and this has helped a great deal in removing my attention from my device to the real world. There’s a cost to any of these decisions but the benefits now outweigh the negatives.
Yep, and honestly weighing up the cost/benefit equation for your own personal needs is key... rather than just doing what the device wants you to do.
Looking forward to your thoughts on music.
Spoiler alert: mostly vinyl ;-)
I’ve never owned vinyl but still have my CD collection. Analogue rules!
100%!
Alex, this is so refreshing. I love discovering other people going this route, and taking the time to write and talk about why it actually matters to them.
These two simple items — a watch and a notebook — are indeed life changing. And I love the perspective you share on these tools. They are so very useful, and can also be beautiful. It’s my view that all of the best things are in life are better when they are beautiful as well as practical, and the possessions we carry have the ability not just to effect the way we behave, but the way we think.
Thank you for sharing this. I’m looking forward to reading the other posts you publish in this series. (Also thank you for inspiring me to pick up my pen again and keep working on my own piece examining my life without a smartphone. I’ve so many thoughts to share on this, and it’s encouraging to see other people interested in the topic.)
P.S. Peco and Ruth Gaskovski write extensively on this subject, and run two separate Substacks that I think you’d find great value in.
Thanks so much for stopping by, and I completely agree. Huge fans of Peco and Ruth’s work!