Some of my current reading -- perhaps a disproportionate amount of it -- has been focused on digital diets. This material has ushered me into a lovely guilt trip about the amount of time I spend on my phone doing things that aren't necessarily productive. And, when I vehemently resisted Catherine Price's suggestion that I remove those apps from my phone, I began to wonder if I had a problem. Was I deluding myself, or do I really have it under control?
In truth, the answer lies somewhere in between. Do I spend too much time on games? Probably. Do I sometimes mindlessly scroll through social media? Affirmative. Am I doing this at times when I could (reasonably) be doing something more productive? Sometimes.
Am I out of control?
No. Not even close.
While reading these books has nudged me to take a closer look at how much time I spend in digital pursuits (as well as what those pursuits are), it has also reminded me that being productive 24/7 is really not a goal worth pursuing. Could I theoretically put my phone down at 9PM and write the next great American novel? Sure. Am I likely to really be able to do that?
No. Not even close.
We need a break. And in the 21st century, that break might very well be losing ourselves in an online game that allows us to not have to be doing anything in that moment. What we really need to consider is how that time and those pursuits make us feel, how much time we're (really) wasting, whether or not we have the cognitive capacity to engage in more productive pursuits at that time and, finally, whether or not that engagement would actually be a win.
To be fair, the books I'm reading do address this, particularly Cal Newport's Digital Minimalism, which I'm finding to be more nuanced than other books on the topic, nearly all of which suggest a period of going cold turkey followed by a slow, thoughtful reintroduction of key apps. What I like about Newport's approach (so far -- I'm still reading) is that he explicitly raises the question of whether or not the way we're using our devices is the best way to accomplish what(ever) it is we want to accomplish.
And that strikes me as a question worth asking. As a result, that's the question that's guiding my analysis of my time on my devices. If it's 10:30 PM and I'm in my recliner watching The Golden Girls and playing a game on my phone, it's a safe bet that I'm not trying to accomplish anything except downtime.
And that's okay.
So, as I analyze my time on devices, I have to separate work (teaching-related, writing-related, e-mail, social media posts for author purposes) from play and, as has been the case since long before we held computers in our hands, whether or not the balance between the two is right for me.
If you feel the need for a change in your social media habits, you might enjoy Cal Newport's Digital Minimalism. If you're looking for an overhaul of your habits, Catherine Price's How to Break Up with Your Phone might be a good fit.
But, if you're happy (and you know it), put down your phone and clap your hands. Finding digital balance is definitely a feat worthy of applause.
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