Is anyone else really sick of being glued to their phones all the time? It seems silly that we can’t just stop, especially if we’re not even getting that much value out of the experience. But these little tech demons are designed to keep us scrolling and jumping from app to app.
In the UK we spend an average of 5 hours and 6 minutes a day on our phone (according to Opal), which is 28% of our day… that’s bloody shit. That also works out as 77 days a year spent on our phones. That’s actually terrifying, really glad I just plugged those stats into my calculator. The point is, we’re glued to these things and we. can’t. stop. scrolling.
I’ve been interested in the idea of switching from digital to analogue. I watched a video on YouTube this week from creator henrydidit, which goes into how he’s swapped out smart devices for analogue with life-changing effects. This video left me feeling inspired to do much the same where I can, in an attempt to spend less time on my phone and more time experiencing my life.
How am I making the switch?
Notetaking
I’ve always been a big fan of a physical notebook and usually always have one with me in a bag or a pocket, but I still tend to reach for my phone by default. Phone notes are really useful for lots of things, like storing links I need to access or having a shared note with a friend for trip planning, but they don’t need to be used for everything.
I like the idea of jotting down my thoughts in a notebook, if I want to remember something or am interested to look into something more when I get home, any on the fly thing I think oh, I want to write that down. It’s definitely easier to write something in your phone, but let’s be honest, how many abandoned notes pages do we have in our phone? Writing it physically feels more intentional and something you’re more likely to look back on.
An interesting point henrydidit makes is that because of predictive text on our phones, we end up loosing the art of actually writing down our thoughts. If our phone is doing half of the work for us, are we loosing the creativity that could come from noting down ideas?
I have notebooks for pretty much everything, journalling, reading, films, music, to do lists. I just need to train my brain to reach for these by default and not my phone.
Photography
I’ve been experimenting with film photography for a few years now using both an Olympus mju-1 and a Pentax P30. I really enjoy the ‘in the moment’ feel of shooting on film. There’s no way to check if the photo came out as you wanted it until the film gets developed, and then there’s the joy of getting to look through the photos and relive the memories once you get them back from being developed. There’s a much more intentful approach to photography when shooting with film, but it’s also a lot more expensive.
I recently invested in a Camp Snap camera which gives the same style as a disposable camera, whilst being digital and therefore reusable. I know that defies the point of switching digital for analogue in a way, but there’s no viewing screen on this camera which is what I love best about shooting in film. You still don’t know what you have till you get home and review the photos, so it again brings in that sense of being in the moment and being more intentional with what you’re shooting.
I also love the idea of creating physical photo albums. I was recently looking through my mum’s university photo album and not only was it brilliant to see the photos, but it was also a really fun activity to do together. I’d like to start creating albums of my life and have something tangible to go back through in years to come, I think that would be really fun.
Time keeping
I’ve had an Apple Watch for about 6 years now I think, but for the last year or so, I’ve only been wearing it to the gym. The reason is actually because the battery started burning out super fast over a day and the strap was starting to irritate my skin, but this has ended up having a better effect on me than I expected.
When I got a smartwatch I thought it was brilliant, it reduced the need for me to be looking at my phone, I could see texts and calls on my writst, I could easily log my exercise. And whilst these features do make day to day life easier, it also meant I was always connected, my body was physically always connected. Without thinking about it, I’d become a walking distraction for myself. If I was sat reading and my watch went off, I’d glance down at it and usually distract myself from my book. Something that was meant to make my life easier, ended up making me even more addicted to my technology.
I still have my analogue watches from pre-smartwatch days and I intend to get the batteries changed in one to still have the timekeeping element, but without the notifications. I still like wearing my Apple Watch at the gym to log my workouts, or if I go on a really long walk, but other than that, I’d like to see how it feels to step back from the feeling of being constantly connected.
Music
I think Spotify is a genius for how it has changed music listening for so many and I will always love and use Spotify on the daily, however over the last few years I’ve been enjoying the beauty of records. I have a Sony PSLX310BT turntable and a growing collection of records built up over various local record fairs and birthdays past. There’s something so much more intentional about sitting and listening to a record and I love that. The tangible act of putting the record on and sitting down in my cosy little music corner and just listening and vibing with the music. It’s a really calming way to spend an afternoon and a nice reminder that whilst my music consumption will always mostly be digital, it doesn’t all have to me.
Books
I got my first Kindle when I was around 15 or so – I felt really excited at the idea of carrying hundreds of books around with me on one device. Since then I’ve upgraded my Kindle a few times, but I honestly never see it overtaking physical books in my life. I like the ease of the Kindle, it’s great for travel and easy access, but come on, nothing can ever top a physical, real book. The smell, the feel, the look, I love books… which probably isn’t a shock to anyone who has come across my website before.
I have over 1,000 books, a home library and I love it that way. I read a lot and it makes me happy to be surrounded by one of my biggest passions, it is what makes my house a home. I do think reading on the Kindle is still a pretty simple and easy experience, despite it being tech, I don’t feel I’m connected when I’m on it because I am just focusing on my book. However in an act to curb how much tech is in my life, I certainly notice myself again favouring the experience of the analogue version and most of the time reaching for a physical book.
I hope this blog post has given you some ideas on how you could switch digital for analogue. It’s something that takes time to get used to and not every way of switching will work for everyone. But for me, my goal is to be able to step back from tech more, especially my phone, and be able to live more in the moment. Working in social media and being on it so much for so many different aspects of my life, has started to leave me with such a dislike for it. I long for the space away from phones we all had pre the 2010s. Maybe one day we’ll all get so sick of it that phones will go back to just being something that aid us, not control us, but I think it’s a long way till we see that shift.
