We now spend more time looking at pixels than at real things.
Almost everything involves a screen nowadays: buying things, looking up things to buy, ordering food, finding a date, driving, searching for a vacation destination, or reading the news. And the list goes on.
It also doesn’t help that everything has a screen: fridges, cars, watches, treadmills, self-checkout machines… even elevators, just in case you get bored for 10 seconds and have time to think. People attend live events and watch them through their phones.
Even my parents are somewhat addicted to screens (in their 60s/70s), and I see whole families having lunch together while they look at their phones.
We’re more present online than we are here, where we actually have each other.
So, in a world where we’re seeing everything through a screen, I find myself missing, in a nostalgic way, analog objects.
Perhaps “crushing” creative objects for the last 30 years into a touch screen wasn’t a good idea after all.
Simple things like writing in a notebook, reading a book, getting my hands dirty in the garden, or having a conversation with a friend without our phones are therapeutic. It feels calmer and more connected compared to doing anything on a screen.
I’m running an experiment this month, starting to replace as many tools as I can with physical things. If it helps me avoid reaching for my phone or computer, it’s worth exploring.
Here’s a quick list (I already have some things) in case it inspires you.
- A kitchen timer: cheap, and you can also use it for Pomodoros when working.
- A notebook.
- Physical Books.
- An analog camera.
- A calculator.
- A writing machine. I know, but please, watch California Typewriter and you’ll want one too.
- An iPod/mp3 player: people are going crazy with the iPod mods.
- A physical agenda / printed calendar.
- A watch (not a smartwatch, just a simple watch, like a Casio).
- An encyclopedia. This one seems a bit crazy, but I’ve been reflecting on this ever since I read this article, especially if you have kids.
- A reliable old car with no screens.
- A music player for the home.
- Post-its for ideas and quick notes.
- An alarm clock.
I understand the temptation: to have only a few things and not hoard random stuff so we’re all cool and minimalist, but I don’t want to end up spending half an hour on my phone when I just wanted to set an alarm clock, while my son is waiting for me to play with him. Not anymore.