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completely agree with everything written here, I found myself nodding away as I read the post.
The only thing I would say is you need to have the conversations with people first, make them aware of constant threats to privacy,and to the detrimental effects of smart phone technology, and other related tech.
Most people are so intertwined with their smartphone they cannot envisage life with something as pared back as the Kompakt, I had a conversation recently where i explained that my phone didnt have a browser, the person was horrified, and asked how I could survive, without access to the internet, she then went on to compare it to a hand cranked car.
Most of my friends and family cannot see the merits, of stepping away from the excessively intrusive tech, we now have in our lives, and would rather trade their privacy and time fully engaged with loved ones, for convenience of apps that save them, a couple of minutes a month. They have fallen for the sales pitch, that convinces them, they are so busy that this app or that tech will give them back time to do other things, when in reality it does the opposite.
There is also a lot of people that simply don’t care unfortunately. i think its a little like giving up smoking, you will only do it when you are ready to do it.
It takes time for people to become aware, and bothered by the consequences and effects as you have so eloquently outlined in your post.
Thankfully the scales are beginning to fall from a lot of peoples eyes, as more and more become aware, conversations can be had and alternatives discussed. It took me almost 2 years to decide to do something about my iphone, but to me the Kompakt is like a breath of fresh air, it has totally changed the way i use a mobile phone for the better.
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Thank you for another brilliant blog post, @urszula!
An experience two days ago showed me yet again that some people – in this case, a 23-year-old and a 24-year-old – simply do not have the will or the manners (I am unsure which.) to leave their cellphones untouched while sharing a dinner – in this case, a Christmas-eve dinner. Sad.
In contrast, the Mudita Kompakt lets owners tell others, “Sorry, but my cellphone cannot do that!” – such as handle email or browse to a URL. Similarly, my Sunbeam Wireless cellphone displays “
Video attachment blocked” when someone tries to text-message a video to me.
I like your point that Mudita watches are “a small, but meaningful reminder that not every moment needs to be optimized, tracked, or shared.” As I posted elsewhere, I decided to stick with Garmin Forerunner instead of ordering the beautiful Mudita Radiant because I prefer the accuracy of the Garmin’s timekeeping.
But, I use NONE of the Forerunner’s notification features, I synchronize it with the Garmin Connect app only after a run (so that I can analyze my runs), and I do not share my Garmin data with anyone.
Still, a recent video about watchmaking made me appreciate that the Radiant’s variability of ±5-to-20 seconds/day translates to imperfect but certainly high accuracy, given that there are 86,400 seconds in a day!
With the new year approaching, letting go is again on my mind. If I recall correctly, you once posted that you delete or discard or recycle or give away something every day.
Question:
- Beyond what is taught in a book such as Spark Joy, have you used any mindful tech – even something as simple as pencil and paper – to help you to continue with your daily “letting go” activity?
Happy New Year!
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I like habit-stacking, so I pair my decluttering with an existing habit. I have quite an elaborate bedtime routine which I cultivated in the last 5 years. It usually runs about 75-90min.
When go about my routine, I make it a point to find at least ONE thing that’s “leaving soon.”
At, Mudita, we have this Slack channel where (it’s mostly the ladies who work here) exchange cosmetics, shampoos/conditioners, creams etc which they purchased but for some reason don’t like or they’re not working for them.
I also have a “leaving soon” bag in my bedroom- every time I put away laundry, I put something in there. Whether it’s something that has to be discarded (like socks with a hole) or something I just don’t wear anymore & it can be donated.
My favorite month is January- because I turn the DECLUTTERING up to 11 
On Jan 1st- I get rid of one thing. On Jan 2nd, I get rid of 2 things, on Jan 3rd, three things go bye-bye, and so on! On January 31st, thirty-one things go.
Digital clutter counts too. So I count deleting old screenshots, emails & other files I’ve kept stored for some reason.
When Feb rolls around, It feels really good.
Another mindful switch I made is using fountain pens. The kind you refill yourself. It really cuts down on random pens around the house & it makes me more aware of my writing instruments. I am very aware if where I leave them & how I use them because they are not cheap to replace.
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Fountain pens are so cool, I’d love to switch to them as part of making ourselves interact with beauty and focus on the moment more. I’m left-handed though, and from what I’ve seen, nib adjustments for left-handed seem sub optimal. Maybe I’ll take on a task to practice writing with my right-hand, now that would be a brain and motor skill exercise. 
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Left-handed people fascinate me
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Thank you, @urszula! I will start your January approach in a few days. The formula for the sum of a set of “1 through n” integers is n*(n+1)/2. This means that your January approach leads to getting rid of 31*32/2 = 496 things!
Although I do not yet have a fountain pen, I remain a fan of gel pens and will keep the ones that I have in different colors. I will let go of all other pens, using your “leaving soon”-bag approach. Thanks again!
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@kirkmahoneyphd You think this is a lot- But if you think about ALL the things you have in your house & all the things you accumulate over the years- it’s really not that much. I think every house has that 'crap drawer" that we just stick random stuff in (all those pens that don’t work, rubber bands & random notepads LOL) Think about every birthday card, thank you card, or holiday card you got (that you keep for some time cuz it’s sentimental-especially if the card is one of those photo cards). All those magazines/newspapers that we purchase, containers without matching lids in the kitchen, mismatched socks, bottles of wine (which friends brought for dinner parties) that we will never drink…the list goes on & on. Expired condiments anyone?
After you do it, you’ll see that it’s not really that much. You could throw out so much more.
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Using the “1 through n”-things approach for the seven 31-day months + four 30-day months + one 28-day month in 2026 leads to 7x(31x32)/2 + 4x(30x31)/2 + 1x(28x29)/2 = 5738 “leaving soon” things in 2026.
If I can maintain your approach for January, then I will repeat it in February. And so on… Let the leaving begin!
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Fourteen days into 2026 with this approach, you have made me a true believer, @urszula.
I now have discarded 65(!) pens and highlighters that don’t work, plus many other items that I no longer need.
Each new day becomes a new, fun challenge as to whether I can find as many items to discard as match the current number of that day of the month.
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I’m so HAPPY to hear this! Isn’t it so satisfying to purge all that useless stuff from your life?
You & I are both “word people” (we write a lot), so the amount of writing utensils both of us have probably accumulated over the years is mind-blowing
I’m gonna tackle the spice cabinet this weekend
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