An Analog Life?
Various books and articles (such as this New York Times one) are suggesting ways to declutter our digital life or completely go analog. Maybe this will be the new trend. Who knows there might be even an app for going analog. It seems Marie Kondo is also on the case.
Recently I had an epiphany that made me think about this carefully. I agree with the idea behind such decluttering. However, I realised that a balanced approach is needed and more importantly to understand that digital tools are just tools — if it can get the job done without cluttering our life then why not. I like the flexibility and hybridity of my current tools. For example, I prefer physical books, journals and sometimes CDs but I also use Evernote and Spotify. They get the job done and I am not addicted to any of these tools. Maybe I do get overboard with doodling in the journal too much…
Several years ago I used to meditate weekly with a group. While there I was able to sit still for an hour or so. I remember this to be a helpful experience. But I could do this only with the group. At home maybe 15–20 minutes on my own. Since then I have been very irregular about this and as a result I cannot make myself sit still even for five minutes. Of course there are apps for that and some are even used by high profile CEOs.
I finally caved in and found a free meditation app to use. To my surprise I was able to sit through for almost ten minutes. And the app was a simple one — it just had a chime bell and a timer. I guess that’s all I needed — someone to go “ding” (so Pavlovian!) and I was ready to go.
I think I will keep using this app as it serves the purpose. I am not going KonMari on my digital or analog life. I am aware and discerning enough to know which tools and methods suit me best. I am glad that I still have various analog clutters in my life.
