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diff --git a/website/blog/content/english/cell-phone-experiment.md b/website/blog/content/english/cell-phone-experiment.md index c8efbf38052d..e98b0d4fd088 100644 --- a/website/blog/content/english/cell-phone-experiment.md +++ b/website/blog/content/english/cell-phone-experiment.md @@ -1,92 +1,270 @@ --- title: "Cell Phone Experiment" -date: 2020-03-09T22:02:07Z -draft: true +date: 2020-04-02T02:02:07Z +draft: false --- ### TL;DR -I will not use my cell phone during March to challenge myself and learn more -about how much I depend on my device. +I will not use my cell phone during March to learn more about how much I depend +on it. -### Background +### Explore/Exploit Ever since I read Charles Duhigg's book, [The Power of Habit](poh), I try to -habituate as many aspects of my life that I can. +habituate as many aspects of my life as I can. + +Making my bed every morning is an example of a habit -- so too is flossing at +night before bed. The *exploit* axis of the [explore/exploit tradeoff](exp-exp) endows habits with -their power. If you are interested in learning more about the explore/exploit -tradeoff, Brian Christian and Tom Griffiths explain this concept more clearly -than I could in Chapter 2 of their exceptional book, [Algorithms to Live +their power. Brian Christian and Tom Griffiths explain this concept more clearly +than I can in Chapter 2 of their exceptional book, [Algorithms to Live By](algos). -One pitfall of overly exploiting an activity, however, is neglecting global -optima in favor of local optima. Thus we must also explore. Is it possible to -habituate exploration? I think so. +Habits are powerful, but if I overly exploit an activity, I may settle on a +local optimum in lieu of settling on a global optimum; these are the opportunity +costs of exploiting (i.e. habits) versus exploring (i.e. spontaneity). + +But what if it was possible to habituate exploration? -Every month since October 2018, I commit to a monthly challenge. In the past, -monthly challenges have been things like: -- sign up and take Brazilian Jiu Jitsu lessons -- buy a guitar and learn [Freight Train by Elizabeth Cotton](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUK8emiWabU) +### Monthly challenges + +Every month since October 2018, I challenge myself to try something new. In the +past, monthly challenges have been things like: +- sign up and take Brazilian Jiu Jitsu classes +- buy a guitar and learn [Freight Train](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUK8emiWabU) - study Italian -- attempt to learn a handstand +- learn a handstand -Typically for an activity to qualify as a challenge, I must spend at least -fifteen minutes working on it at least five days each week. Oftentimes -challenges have concrete deliverables (e.g. playing the "Freight Train" song -from start-to-finish). Other times, with Jiu Jitsu, the challenge consists of -attending classes five days a week without any absences. +Typically for an activity to qualify as a challenge, I must spend *at least +fifteen minutes* working on it *at least five days* each week. -This month I'm challenging myself to avoid using my cell phone for the entire -month. I am interested in partially digitally detoxing. +This month (i.e. March) I'm challenging myself to avoid using my cell phone. -My parents gave me a cell phone when when I was a freshman in High School; those -days, I was fourteen years old. I am now twenty-eight years old, which means I -have been using a cell phone semi-daily for over ten years. +My parents gave me a cell phone when when I was a freshman in High School; I was +14 years old. I am now 28, so I have been using a cell phone semi-daily for over +a decade. While I enjoy the convenience that my cell phone provides me, I am curious to -suspend my usage aiming to more clearly understand how much I depend on it. +suspend my usage to more clearly understand how much I depend on it... + +### April + +Now it is early April, and I completed March's challenge. So how was it? + +Below I outline the parts of using a cell phone that I missed and the parts that +I surprisingly did not miss. I will also mention the two times that I used my +cell phone and why. + +The first three things that I missed all relate to time. + +#### Timekeeping + +On the first day I realized that unless I was near a computer, I did not know +what time it was. + +I exclusively use my cell phone as my watch; I do not wear a watch. To adapt, I +started looking for clocks around my office and while I was taking public +transportation. Thankfully London posts the current time on the digital train +schedules. This oriented me while I was traveling, which was also when I needed +to know the time the most. + +Most of the month, however, I never precisely knew what time it was. + +#### Alarm clocks + +While I anticipated living without an alarm clock prior to the experiment, I +decided against buying a substitute. Prior to this month, I theorized that +morning alarms probably disrupt the quality of my sleep. If I'm tired, shouldn't +I keep sleeping? + +As the month progressed and my 24 hour day morphed into a 25 hour day, I learned +that I would prefer waking up at the set time every day. + +I am still unsure if alarm clocks are helpful in the long-term. I would have +slept with the curtains drawn to allow the morning sun to wake me +up. Unfortunately, I live on the ground floor nearby a brightly shining street +lamp that spills into my bedroom. + +If I lived somewhere more remote (perhaps even a suburb would do) I would like +to repeat an experiment where I live for a month without an alarm clock. + +For now, I must return to the Temple of Chronology and supplicate until Father +Time restores my sanity. + +#### Timers + +Using timers motivates me to do a bunch of short tasks like cleaning my flat for +fifteen minutes, stretching, or reading before bed. Thankfully, I already owned +a physical timer that I keep in my kitchen. This replaced my phone's timer +application with minimal disruption. + +#### Maps + +Speaking of lacking orientation, what about living without maps software? On +the few occasions where I traveled somewhere that was unfamiliar to me, I had to +memorize the directions from my computer before I departed. + +At least I didn't need to visit gas stations or museums to buy trifold tourist +maps... + +I once left my office -- mistakenly assuming that I would download the +directions to my destination while commuting. As I awaited the office elevator, +I realized that I had no clue where I was heading. + +Thankfully I wasn't far from the safety, comfort, and familiarity of my desktop +computer -- with its fatty WiFi connection. In no time I was studying Google +Maps in my web browser and memorizing the directions. + +Overall this was also hardly an inconvenience, and I think I even enjoyed +stress-testing my memory: a job that I so often outsource to hardware. + +#### Rendezvouses + +A couple of times I met friends in various parts of the city. Organizing these +particular rendezvouses was a novel (read: anachronistic) experience. For all +you young whippersnappers reading, take out your stone tables and chisels. I'm +going to explain how this works: + +First I would tell my friends where are when to meet me. I emphasized that I +would be quite helpless to any changes they might make to the plans once I began +commuting, which made the commitments unusually more binding. + +On one occasion my friend -- who is characteristically prompt, and even chides +me for when I'm late -- was twenty minutes late for our engagement. My friend is +German, so I figured I should do my civic duty of alerting the German embassy +that my friend has broken German code, is obscenely late, and should therefore +hand-in his passport and renounce his citizenship. After awhile my conscience +advised me to reconsider. + +It was fortunate for both of us that I did not fully understand how late he was; +I didn't know what time it was. + +I decided this would be a useful opportunity to test my patience, so I loitered +for twenty minutes outside of our meeting point. He couldn't text me to tell me +that he was late. I couldn't listen to music, call family or friends to pass the +time. In the end he showed up, and it was scarcely a big deal. + +This experience made me wonder what the policy for abandoning plans is when +someone is running late. Before smart phones, how long did people wait? Long +enough to absolve themselves of flaking on their friend in the unlikely event +that their friend showed shortly after they left. + +So... thirty minutes? I'll call my grandma tomorrow and ask her. + +#### Boredom + +My phone couldn't entertain me while I waited in line at the grocery store. Same +too when commuted. + +I also found myself listening to less music than I usually do. I decided to read +to occupy the void when I could; this helped me progress towards completing my +[GoodReads annual reading challenge][gr-annual]. + +#### Cheating + +I used my phone twice during March. + +1. Once to use my bank's mobile app to internationally transfer money from my + U.K. account to my U.S. account. I could have used [TransferWise's][tw] + website, but I didn't. +2. Another time I used my phone to take pictures of an item that I wanted to + sell on [CraigsList][cl]. I could have and perhaps should have used my laptop's + webcam, but at the time, I didn't want to. I am accustomed to using my phone + to take pictures, and I wanted to sell something. + +In both of these cases, prior habits eroded my resolve to stay the course. These +are useful reminders that habits don't distinguish between helpful and hurtful; +they just exist. + +In total I would estimate that I spent somewhere around fifteen minutes using +my phone in March. + +I consider this a success. + +### Substitution = Dilution + +While the explicit goal of this challenge was to avoid using my cell phone for a +month, the implicit goal was to disengage from many of the +[nonessential][essentialism] activities that compete for my attention. + +There were some things that I didn't miss about not having a cell phone. This +wasn't because I don't value these things, but rather because I can adequately +replace them with alternatives. + +For texting and making phone calls, I used [Telegram][wtf-telegram]. Telegram +helped me sustain a healthy relationship with my girlfriend while still honoring +the constraints of the challenge. + +While I appreciated the convenience Telegram provided, I felt that I remained +about as [available][wtf-availability] during March as I was in February. If I +ever experiment with drastically reducing my availability, I will be more +explicit about my objectives. + +### Distraction displacement (whack-a-mole) + +Because cell phones and other electronics have conditioned my behavior, I +habitually avoid boredom and seek entertainment. On its face this may not sound +like a harmful practice. My generation drills the aphorism "you only live once", +suggesting that we may want to embrace a Hedonistic lifestyle. + +A life spent indulging may or may not be a wise way to play the game of Life, +but living a life where I am often stimulated but equally distracted appeals +increasingly less to me as time progresses. + +During March I noticed that once I freed my attention from sending/receiving +texts, my brain quickly reassigned my attention to maintaining a vigil over +other social media outposts that I maintain. + +For example, once I discovered that I could use Instagram in a web browser +instead of on my phone, I filled my newfound time and attention on +[Instagram.com][ig] (don't click!): displacing the time that I spent on an app +on my phone to time that I spent on a website in a web browser. + +Holy whack-a-mole! -### What was different? +Halfway through the month, I wrote a [program to block websites][url-blocker] on +my computer. Surprisingly this worked and forced me to more deliberately fill +this hard-fought, foreign time with other activities. -Things that I am missing: -- Alarm clock: I decided to avoid buying an alarm clock. I theorize that alarms - and caffeine may distort my reality. An excuse to sleep in? Twist my arm... -- Waking Up with Sam Harris: Thankfully, Waking Up supports web browsers, so - this was easy to replace. -- Banking with Monzo: Monzo has a web client for doing simple banking tasks. I - needed to internationally transfer GBP to my USD account. -- Spotify: I either read while taking public transport, attempted to briefly - meditate, or (most commonly) started blankly. -- Taking notes -- Timers -- Google Calendar for meeting room information +### Easy come, easy go? -Things that I did miss: -- Phone calls: My birthday is March 5, and I wanted to talk to my family then - since I'm currently living abroad in London; I'm originally from a suburb - outside of Washington D.C. +As the saying for making friends goes, "easy come, easy go", implying that +friendships that you easily form can just as easily be destroyed. -Things that I thought I would miss but I didn't miss: -- Email: I prefer checking my emails minimally anyhow. -- Text messaging: Maybe I enjoyed this because I knew the whole time it was - temporary. I'm unsure if I'd feel this way if it was permanent. +Habits invert this creation/destruction relationship. In my experience "easy +come" implies "difficult to go". -Exploits -- Telegram native client -- Instagram's web client +For example, you might be able to easily form the habit of eating chocolate +around 15:00 at work. Compare this to the difficulty people experience +habituating a meditation practice. -### What was bad? +I suspect that while my cravings for using a cell phone have temporarily ceased, +they will return shortly after I start using my cell phone. And as if nothing +happened, I return to where I was at the end of February just before I decided +to curb my cell phone usage. -Not much. +Because of this, I'm planning on keeping my cell phone in my closet where I +stored it during the month of March. As noted, enough substitutes exist for me +to live a mostly normal life: one where I am not unnecessarily straining the +relationships of my friends and my family. After all these are the people who +matter most to me and those who drive me to explore new ways to improve. -### Will I use a cell phone in April? +I recognize that the "self" in self-experimentation is a misnomer. My decisions +impact the people in my life, and I want to thank everyone who tolerates my +eccentric and oftentimes annoying experimentation. -Probably. I think this exercise removed some of the long-standing barnacles, but -some of the old habits and triggers exist. Also with web browser and native -client alternatives to mobile apps, the partial digital detox felt even more -partial. +Thank you for reading. [pod]: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12609433-the-power-of-habit [exp-exp]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multi-armed_bandit [algos]: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25666050-algorithms-to-live-by +[gr-annual]: https://www.goodreads.com/user_challenges/19737920 +[cl]: http://craigslist.com +[tw]: https://transferwise.com +[url-blocker]: https://github.com/wpcarro/url-blocker +[wtf-telegram]: https://telegram.org +[wtf-availability]: https://landing.google.com/sre/sre-book/chapters/availability-table +[essentialism]: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18077875-essentialism +[ig]: https://instagram.com |