New year, new resolution
My only resolution this year is to try an experiment where I attempt to supplant my phone with my notebook (the 2023 Hobonichi Techo) by carrying it around with me everywhere, and leaving the phone at home.1
I’ve always kept a journal, but found I’ve never been consistent with it (anyone also relate to spurts of daily writing, then long stretches of no writing at all?), and I am hoping to use my notebook for more than journaling. Calendar events, contact information (maybe I can actually start remembering birthdays now?!), maps, grocery lists—all of that will go into my notebook. Phone be damned. It’s very possible that this will be a huge pain in the ass, but I’d like to stick with this experiment for at least a month, and report back.
I’ve always felt disappointed with how dependent I’ve become on my phone. It’s hard not to, when you get the weekly Screen Time report putting it plainly just how dependent you are! How much better could my time have been spent doing anything else?! Could have read a book instead. I don’t think I’ve ever looked back at my phone usage and thought to myself, wow, yes, that was exactly how I wanted to spend my time, no regrets.
I have a friend who’s amazing at remembering the exact locations of places she’s visited, and can give detailed and elaborate verbal instructions on how to get from A to B, to the point where, if there were a NYC equivalent of The Knowledge, she’d absolutely smash it. She simply has incredible spatial memory! I asked her how she’s so good at it, and the answer was: practice. She loves spending time looking at maps, and practicing giving directions.
I’d like to feel more aware and present, not just in my interactions with my close friends, but also with my neighborhood, my community. I’d like to really know where I live, rather than having a surface level understanding of my home, with my nose buried behind a screen, “knowing” but not knowing, as evidenced by my mind occasionally going blank when tourists ask for directions. And also for the pure utilitarian aspect of it. Always knowing exactly where you are, and never getting lost? Sign me up! I think removing the phone from the equation should also help with finding new places for Artist Dates, an idea from Julia Cameron’s book, The Artist’s Way. I’d imagine going out without a phone may feel like going on a little adventure, treasure map in hand (aka a handwritten map in my notebook). Perhaps handwriting maps, and writing out directions, will finally help me form better spatial awareness, since handwriting leads to better recall?2 This probably sounds incredibly silly for those lucky few who don’t have a phone addiction at all. I don’t know how they do it!
I think all of us understand at this point that our attention is a very precious, limited resource. A notebook has no agenda (unlike many apps on your phone). A notebook can’t distract you in the way a phone can. I simply want to be more intentional with my time and attention. I like to think of using my notebook as a sort of forced meditation, a reminder for me to slow down.
So here’s to 2023, hopefully the year of more writing, reading, exploring, and less screen time.
- Also partly because I was inspired to action after watching [this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xssCfBiUds).↩︎
<li id="fn:2" role="doc-endnote">[The Overflow: Why writing by hand is still the best way to retain information](https://stackoverflow.blog/2022/11/23/why-writing-by-hand-is-still-the-best-way-to-retain-information/)<a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-backref" role="doc-backlink">↩︎</a></li>