Hey Mudita team!
Given your main product, Mudita Pure, and the research and philosophy that went into it, I wonder if some of your team members also have “digital minimalism experiences” to share. Did some get inspired to change their smartphone usage since working for Mudita or have some even ditched their smartphone for a dumbphone?
I’m just curious about how the minds behind Mudita Pure think about their daily technology usage.
I would be really interested in some personal stories (if there are any)!
Maybe that could be an idea for a new blog post, perhaps combined with some updates on Pure development?
Hey @steven,
I wrote a blog post about one of my digital detox experiences. I can’t speak for my colleagues but I have changed my habits in order to spend more time offline and regularly discuss the ways other people can do the same. If you need any help, let me know and I’ll be happy to advise you. There a number of tips here too.
Thank you @anon32618512, I read your article a while back and absolutely enjoyed it! You seem like the perfect fit for Mudita. I was just wondering if your colleagues also share the ideas of digital minimalism and how/if they incorporated some of them in their daily lives (which i would somehow expect from someone who works for a startup with such a special mission).
Two weeks ago, I decided to go for a “cold turkey” test phase and ditched my smartphone for a basic Nokia dumbphone. What started out as an one week adventure, to find out about the pros and cons of a complete abandonment of my smartphone, turns out to be quite a pleasant experience, to be honest. My biggest issues are keeping in touch with friends and family without Whatsapp and the lack of a touchscreen (typing with classic keys is just a pain). How do you cope with that? Has anyone similar experiences?
On a side note: Is there an update on the current progress of Pure in the making? It’s already been a while since the last one.
Hi @steven,
It is great to read about your experience regarding ditching your smartphone for a basic phone.
To tell you the truth, before I started working for Mudita, I hade some major issues with electronic devices. I was always changing my phones to newer or ‘better’ versions and I found myself really hooked on social media and mindlessly scrolling.
I realized that I needed to do something about it or I would start losing control over reality. I’m not really a yoga or meditation person. So, I was trying to find something else that I could do in order to cut myself off the phone. So I started drawing. And I found it a really exciting thing for me to do. And these were the first moments spent without scrolling.
However, due to the nature of my work, I couldn’t ditch my smartphone for a ‘dumb phone’. When I started working for Mudita, I got to understand how to use electronic devices mindfully.
Now, I still use a smartphone and computer when I work (8h a day, but not constantly). During that time I made myself to make notes in the notebook, not on the computer. After work, I put my phone away.
Also, I have to confess that sometimes I find myself scrolling again, but I know that change requires time and strength. It’s not always perfect, but I’m getting better.
When it comes to mem I strive for a conscious relationship with my phone. What I mean here is being in conscious control of when and how I use it.
My main general rule of thumb means that if it’s the “me” or “relax” time - there is no phone allowed. It basically means that I almost don’t use a phone in the evenings and on weekends.
My friends and family know that on weekends I’m hard to catch I often leave my phone at home and go for a trip to the woods etc. I never take my phone when I go on dates with my husband. In the evenings I leave my phone in the hallway.
A few days ago I came back from my holidays, during which my and my husband were very strict about our phones: holidays are a time for us. We won’t share our attention. So mostly we were leaving the phone in our hotel room (locked in a safe deposit), or, when we needed our phones to serve us as a camera, we were taking it, but only using it in the Airplane mode. It was a very liberating experience and we will repeat it for sure!
Other stuff that I practice is a no-phone-bedroom and no evening/morning scrolling.
These are my main rules, I hope that you’ll find it inspiring!
It’s a great topic, maybe we’ll use it as a blogpost
Hey Steven,
Before I joined Mudita I didn’t think much about the way I was using technology, especially smartphones. For some reason I always got annoyed when my friends were staring at their screens while hanging out together. It felt wrong. Thanks to Mudita I started to pay more attention to my own behaviours and it turned out I was exactly like my friends. I rekon I decreased the amount of using my phone at least by half, since there, and I often don’t even know where I put my phone.
Remember, you can use Whatsapp on desktop, so that makes chatting with your contacts possible without a smartphone. Or try a more secure chat application like Telegram or Element (via Matrix.org).
For myself, I try to organize my smartphone use into “blocks”.
I don’t use it in the morning (~ 1 h after waking up), and I can honestly vouch for this strategy - mind feels much more focused and calmer if you start your day with books or mindful activities such as walks, showering, exercising or cooking an amazing breakfast
At work, I also try to limit its exposure as I find it distracting.
My primary “smartphone time” comes in the early evening when it’s time to communicate, catch up with some news or articles or listen to some audio content.
When it comes to evenings, especially around 1-2 before going to sleep, a smartphone is an absolute no-go - it disturbs melatonin secretion and engages your mind in a distracting, sleep-disturbing way. A habit to charge your phone in a different room is a life-changing one.
In the end, what I found out is that intentionality is extremely important - you need to know when do you want to use your phone, and what do you want to do. This leads to another insight - planned “no smartphone” times, require you to think about other activities, forcing you to do other, more productive (or more valuable) activities (like reading)
Amazing thing is that the more you limit the use of your phone, the more you like it and the less you want to use it!
