Welcome to issue #03.
Does this scenario sound familiar?
The alarm goes off. I roll over and immediately grab my phone. For three minutes I’ll lay in bed, checking notifications brought on by some invisible urge.
If I have unread emails from the office, I’ll respond. If I have marketing or promotional emails, I’ll let out a big “sigh,” wondering why people still think spam works in 2020. Back to scrolling.
I wash my face, take a shower, and get dressed. Then it’s a quick breakfast, phone in hand. Scrolling. Responding. Occasionally deleting. I've got a coffee now sitting in front of my laptop. First thing I do? Check email.
It’s nearly 10:30 AM and I've hit a creative wall. To take a break, I glance at my phone and notice a notification. Actually, it’s more like three notifications, all from Gmail. Nothing important, really — a book I ordered shipped. Several more marketing promos from brands having a sale. I may slip up and click one just to see how good the deal is.
Six hours have gone by and brain fog is settling in. My phone is just sitting there on the table, so I grab it to alleviate the discomfort of pure silence and mental fatigue. Another two hours pass and it’s 6:00 PM. I check my work email one last time, skimming through everything until I see zero unread messages. I shut the laptop and pick up my phone.
It’s time for personal email. The good stuff. More scrolling.
We have a serious addiction to our phones — specifically notifications.
Do I remember most of the emails I read? No.
Do they make my day more productive? Do they teach me anything? Will they in any way alter my life? No, no, and also, no…
How much time do I waste “just checking”? I don’t want to think about it.
What can we do?
Recently, I have been experimenting with different ways to leverage the positives of my phone without suffering from all the downsides. I’m sure most people reading this could benefit from a strategic detox too.
Here are a few ideas and habits that really work.
How to Go All-in on Your Creative Work Without Ditching Your 9–5 // Medium
Side hustling is more than a hobby. It’s a way of life.
Normal is Over(rated) – For Now // Velvet Buzzsaw
“We need to stop talking about a return to normal and start thinking our way forward. And we can’t do that if we keep starting every conversation with some reference to ‘normal’ and how much we miss it.”
Here’s How I’ll Make My Next $200,000 Online // Tom Kuegler
We are living through the goldrush of making money online.
What’s Your Dream? Here Are 5 Actionable Ways To Make It Happen // Nicolas Cole
Dreams turn to reality every day.
A quote that made me think: “The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled.” ― Plutarch
A writing platform making the rounds: www.newsbreak.com
Until next week…
Be happy. Stay safe. Read. Write. Listen. Learn.
- Jonah