No Mobile Phone Revisited
Happy Friday!
Other the last two months, I've been sharing with you stories of my adventures in positive constraints. We've covered everything from happy dancing and fast-walking Irishmen, to how to double global GDP and dissolve your ego. From No Walking to No Ego, I've given you a little taste of every experiment in You Are What You Don't.
Now I thought it'd be interesting to run through how these experiments have changed my life in the seven years since I first started mucking around with the idea of positive constraints.
In case you don't have 10 minutes to read the full blog post, here are my three wishes for a more considerate future of communication, from the conclusion.
Prioritise your recipient, not yourself. Do they need to know this now? Do I need an answer to this question now? Is asynchronous communication really the more efficient method if it means the conversation will drag out over the course of hours and days? If asynchronous messaging is the best method, how can I craft this message so that the recipient has all the information they need to respond in full with just one response? Think One and Done.
Stop multitasking. When you’re on the phone, you’re in the zone. If, while walking down the street, I suddenly remember I need to send so-and-so an urgent message, then I should stop, lean against a wall, concentrate on the recipient and send that message. If I can’t stop and send that message – if I’m at dinner with friends, for example – then I should make a note to send it later. If I can’t make a note, then I must trust that if the message is urgent enough, then I will remember later.
If in doubt, put it away. By default, I’d like to see no phones. No phones on the dinner table, no phones on the desk, no phones in the bedroom, no phones on the bus, no phones at stop lights, no phones lying idly in the hand. If in doubt, put it away and keep it away. Look up, and have faith that you and your world are even more interesting than whatever is buzzing away in your pocket.
Wondering how I came to these wishes? Want to read more about phones-as-social-media, asynchronous messaging or meta-messages? Then read the full blog post over on youarewhatyoudont.co.uk. Nice one.
Thanks for reading! Now what?
You guys have given me plenty of encouragement to keep going with these weekly emails - thank you! So that's exactly what I'm going to do. If you'd like to steer me in a particular direction, then I'd love to hear from you (before I run out of ideas).
Would you like to hear more about my experiments with psychedelics? Or perhaps you loved the stuff on refugees and no borders? Or maybe supermarkets are your thing. Whatever it is, let me know by replying to this email and I'll do my best to oblige. After all, I only write these for you guys!
If you're still buying what I'm dealing, please share the love and I hope you find your crock of gold this weekend.
Keep digging, -DC