Spring's gentle rain showers and bouts of sunshine have brought everything to life in our valley. With the start of Summer only a few days away, everything is green and wet by now and the snails love it. I watch (in frustration ;-) as they emerge from everywhere to feast on our newly planted vegetables, leaving their silvery trails behind. I am curious to see if any vegetables will be left for us to eat this Summer!
I've been tapping away at work in my home office, preparing for some time off in July. Last year I shared that typically, two times a year I take some time off work to reflect on which direction my actions are currently steering my life. What I am most looking forward to this time around is putting myself on something of a digital detox, or better, a content diet.
Digital Detox
I know that I am not the only one craving more time away from a screen. How we interact with almost anything today is mainly through poking a sheet of glass. But I cannot name one person who feels content after interacting with a screen all day.
When I was studying Industrial Design, most of the products my peers were designing were digital products. Apps, websites, more apps. And I didn’t like it. Since then I made it my goal as a designer to look for ways to create tangible interactions. For Alta this has resulted in using paper as the medium. When I hand people paper worksheets and stickers to use when exploring their thoughts and ideas swirling around in their heads, they all thank me for these tactile prompts. Because in times of digital overload these offline materials enable them to focus, explore, tinker and slow down for a minute, and help them to see more clearly and feel more grounded.
These last few weeks I have been seeing many more experts talking about how the tactile and mindful nature of paper can help to reclaim focus and creativity in this digital age. And how paper-based activities like reading magazines, journaling, vision boarding, and creative therapy can help the younger generations to slow down and navigate the challenges of our fast-paced, digital world.
So my plan for a digital detox this summer is to first of all immerse myself in many of these paper-based activities. And some of my friends are doing it too. I guess we all just feel very numbed out by these flat, static and passive interactions with our screens… Let’s touch some paper! ;-]
Content diet
On top of this digital detox I’m thinking of going on a content diet as well. Over the past year or so the constant stream of information, shiny headlines, and opinions have been so much for my consciousness to digest that it feels like I’m becoming content intolerant. I’ve reached this point where I feel like I'm stuffed so full of “content,” there is no more space inside me for my own, original thoughts to form.
The thing is though, that in order to build my business I am supposed to be producing a constant stream of content myself. But the more (fast to digest) content I am producing, the less time, energy, focus, and imagination I have left in me for sincere words, connections and designing new products.
So I need a break, in order to make space in my mind for reflections, buried emotions, and new perspectives. It’s scary though, choosing my creativity over my visibility, but I also feel like it’s necessary for us all to take a step back from content culture in order for it to change.
Looking around how others are coping showed me I am not alone in these thoughts. Personally I always find it reassuring to hear others share about their love-hate relationship with this digital world we live in today. So if you feel like sharing if and how you plan for a digital detox and content diet, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment. I am curious to hear what your thoughts and experiences are. ♡
Iris
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