Is Life without Screens Possible?

Is it the screen or the technology that is the problem? That is the real question 😺 I say that because for a large portion of the world screens are not the problem as they access the web and other services using an array of different technologies.

My belief is that the biggest problems are money (and the sole focus on extracting as much of it as possible) and as a result, the intent of those building the software.

Oh, how I've tried. About 50% of my life is digital unfortunately. My work, my learning, my entertainment 😮‍💨. Sometimes I wish I could just go to a remote island with no technology for about 2 weeks to refresh.

Of course it is. We all did it up until about the 1980s ;-). Well we had TVs I guess but some of us didn't.

That said, some things that were possible then without a screen are more difficult even impossible now without one. But not that many are critical to life, and it's still possible to live without them.

Not and read this on dev.to of course.

I don't know if it's possible to entirely remove screens from your life (if we are talking about any type of screen time - phones, games, TV, e-books, etc.) but the addiction is real and can impact your anxiety and ADHD.

Years ago I went with some friends to a small farm, to spend an extended holiday - no phone signal, no TV, just the basics. On the first day I (on my mind) spent HOURS cleaning up the house, HOURS playing in the pool, HOURS drinking beer and talking. "OK, it must be 3pm already, maybe we need to start thinking about lunch or something" - it wasn't even 10am yet. 🤷🏽‍♂️

Slowing down is a must on these days where we can get any type of information and push-up notifications on our pockets.

A heavily reduced screen time life is possible with the required lifestyle

What is the required lifestyle? Have no technology intensive job, be your own boss, live outside the city.

Basically, you'd have to start living from your day to day work enough to live and have a care-free attitude cuz as soon as you start getting more and more into that work, you'd start seeing your phone or some sort, any type, of metric to advance in said workfield.

I live not far from, well, quite a few forests. I took up foraging and fermenting. And I started making little TCG and TTRPG systems/games (sticking to pen and paper for writing ideas!)

If our work is all screens (this is dev.to, of course it is), it becomes a question of asking, why does our off-time involve screens too?

Making things, even minor things - especially pointless, pretty little things - gives us something to be happy about, even proud of. A notebook of idle, colourful doodles. Biscuits to share - or not! A scarf that's way too long. Favorite jeans darned to new longevity.

Even going to find things outside and making a collection. A pressing of seasonal leaves and flowers. Perfect pebbles arranged on the trophy shelf. A checklist of the seasonal birds. A roll-call of the neighbourhood cats and dogs.

Anything. What did we even do before screens ? Quite a lot actually.

And in this day and age, choosing to be a geek about a very specific topic shouldn't be something to be frowned upon. Share it all. Those who mock are not worth your time.

Removed tablet from our house and my son now plays with his Lego for hours every day. That's a start. I want to get to the point where I have no screens on weekends at all except for vital phone calls. My dream is a beach house or forest cabin full of books, hand crafts, puzzles, board games, RPGs, card games, and an enormous physical music library on vinyl.

Once upon a time, life without modern technology was completely normal. We used maps instead of GPS to travel. When we got lost, someone gave us advice. Instead of watching social networks, we socialized more and there wasn't much on TV, so we filled our time differently. But today's world is geared to looking at screens. All the information and everything important for functioning in the modern world happens through screens. Without screens, we wouldn't even be able to pay for coffee or withdraw money from an ATM.

Of course it is possible! I was not into watching TV (not even children's television) as a child. I was simply too busy and could not sit still for a minute. Of course that changed some when I discovered the computer (because that is way different from watching TV where you are passive the majority of the time even thought it does help watching something you can learn from like Star Trek TNG, MacGyver, CSI, Fringe, Mr. Robot, Legion, documentaries, crime series, nature programs and historical films so you can use your brain some and meditate on each episode or film for a long time after you have watched it as well). I got my first ever smartphone in 2019 while I was orignally looking for a new digital camera but settled for a smartphone instead (I barely use it. My most used apps are my note-taking app, my calendar app and my calculator app. I also have real notebooks, calendars and a calculator as well which I also use every day. A smartphone is good for maps while travelling, for tracking my monthly, for discounts/tickets/services at hand, to check my email/investments on the go and it takes less space than a digital camera). With the computer (and an internet connection) you can do so many things, learn so many things, make so many things, see so many things, hear so many things and contact so many different people all over the world. I would be very unhappy without one. If you really want to live without any type of screen is the real question!

Whenever I go overseas (as a tourist) I try not to get a local SIM card.

I find that if you have access to Google all the time it takes the magic out of it. "Where are we going to eat tonight?" Just Google the nearest restaurant. "What should we do today?" Just Google tourist sites and activities.

Now I don't do that and just go with the flow. Discover things by myself, get lost, try things I normally wouldn't. If nothing else it makes it feel more thrilling again.