Many people find themselves torn. Like me, they spend weeks pondering if the device will ever be gripped by their hand. And so the tug-of-war continues, with physical attraction pulling one side and endless drawbacks mounted on the other.
For me, using the Mudita Kompakt is as hard as going on a diet. It’s a sacrifice. One that took me weeks to register that I’m ready for.
No, if you buy it because it’s cool, that doesn’t mean you’ve found your phone. It means it’s going to be shipped back to Poland in due time. Because this phone is not for the “faint of heart” or wishy-washy people who snipe the latest fads. You must recognize that you’ll face the same internal battles that you go through when holding back from eating pizza, drinking soda, or following impulse.
This is a real-people, real-life gadget. I see no room for jokes. And that’s the beauty. You feel whole. You reclaim the self that was absorbed in the streams of distraction.
No, it’s not “yum” to suddenly start eating whole wheat. It’s a process.
Soon, you come to appreciate it. You start to relish the things you always overlooked.
Wandering traveler, stop and think. Am I ready for this war?
@Noteh Thank you for sharing this with us. Here’s my take: Personally, I believe that the things that are truly worth having are rarely the easiest or most convenient. There’s even that famous quote or saying that goes something like, “Nothing worth having comes easy.”
The truth is real change usually asks something of us. A pause. A decision. A bit of discomfort at first. It’s like that with every habit that we try to change to better ourselves.
Mudita Kompakt isn’t a magic gadget that fixes habits overnight. It simply creates the space where intentional choices can actually happen. And when something nudges you to be more conscious about how you act, what you reach for, and why, that’s usually a sign it’s a keeper.
The adjustment takes time, but that’s part of the process, and honestly, part of the reward.
I’d just add that Kompakt might be easier to appreciate later in the process, when you at least partially get used to relying on other tools for what the smartphone was used for. I tried to make my wife switch from a smartphone to PC + Kompakt. All accounts, e-mails, messaging apps on PC, smartphone left in the car for navigation. Didn’t work out. Now I’m using her MK as I was drowning once with mine, it was definitely more than a splash to handle. We both see that it was worth trying though, and she keeps catching herself on binge scrolling facebook and getting engaged in other people’s asking for advice on matters of her interests.
@buiosu It’s definitely worth giving another try & giving it a good-faith shot.
Meanwhile, check out our Managing Director @michalstasiuk in this interview from CES in Vegas:
He actually talks about that people instantly “get” Mudita’s concept, the hard part is actually changing habits because it involves a trade-off between convenience and peace of mind.
I’m not so sure the Kompakt is for the faint-of-heart so much as a challenge for the digitally addicted. I’m coming from the opposite end of the spectrum. I held out. I didn’t buy into the smartphone craze for several reasons.
First, a strong sense of environmental stewardship. The phone I used previously was a rugged device built to last. It was also a dumb phone and it lasted more than 14 years. The right to repair, and resisting society’s addiction to planned obsolescence, have long been driving forces for me.
Second was privacy. Avoiding the smartphone craze was never about avoiding technology itself, but about maintaining my autonomy. The idea of big-tech “big brother” following my every move, monetizing my data, and ultimately who I am (for the benefit of large corporations) is deeply distasteful. What makes it worse is how insidiously this is done: buried in pages upon pages of terms and conditions we’re required to accept just to use their products. My life, what I do, where I go, who I talk to, is none of their business.
The third reason was mindfulness. I wanted to be present when I’m with family and friends, even if they are not always present for me due to their own tech addiction.
So I went from a dumb phone to the Kompakt. I didn’t lose anything, but I gained options, along with more control over the product I use than a traditional smart phone would allow…
I hope others will see this either as a path to a digital detox for smartphone users, or as a way to maintain some semblance of control over their digital lives without the constant intrusion of big tech.
Fingers crossed the Kompakt can maintain this balance in an ever-connected world.
So did I. Did the Kompakt give me “peace of mind” ? Only when it’s turned off (which is most of the time). Hence I still appreciate that there are still real dumbphones around, which don’t need constant attention and problem solving. “More offline, more life” is not a slogan the Kompakt deserved.
I also used an old Nokia 3310 for a long time, when everyone else around me already had smartphones and wanted to push me to get one, including WhatsApp. But I remained steadfast. Until I bought the Fairphone 3. Not because it was a smartphone, but because I think the concept is great, the production is partly fair, and you can buy almost every part as a spare and easily replace it yourself. But it wasn’t good for me, it was just too distracting, and I switched to the Mudita Pure, which I still mourn. If only it hadn’t had those reception problems. I think the Kompakt is a kind of interim solution for me. I like the device, but I still long for a device with buttons, like the Pure. But yes, the Kompakt gives me peace of mind, just like I remember from the old days with dumbphones. A smartphone is not for me and I don’t miss it.
We both see that it was worth trying though, and she keeps catching herself on binge scrolling facebook and getting engaged in other people’s asking for advice on matters of her interests.