Off the Grid
10/4/24Recently I went off the grid and gave up my phone for a full week.
It was part of a wilderness retreat with 29 other men in Northern California. As I watched my phone get locked in a box I understood what it’s like to give up an addiction. Because that’s what it is. I knew it would be good to give it up, but I couldn’t help but take one, maybe two more hits before the box shut.
Knowing I would be off the grid, my wife hid letters from her and our 3 kids in my suitcase before I left. These letters will go in the box of treasures I have collected over the years. A very sweet and unexpected gift!
Some of the best views on the planet are in the mountains across the Pacific Crest Trail in Northern California. For a second I missed the camera on my phone. I realized quickly it would be a distraction from just being present in the moment. I spent a few hours by myself at the top of a rock face overlooking the Cascade Range with Mount Shasta in the distance. With no camera, I pulled out my journal to sketch what I saw. It won’t mean anything to you, but when I look at the sketch I can remember the smells, the breeze, the colors, the temperature, the sounds, the feeling of the cool rock on my bare feet, everything. Taking the time to put pen to paper and using my brain to sketch the view locks it into my memory more vividly than just taking a picture. I attached the sketch from that view and another on Paynes Lake. To me, my sketches are more accurate than the google earth images I found!
I had a lot of time to think during this trip. It occurred to me how often I am consumed by my phone. Reading the news, checking for updates and new emails, or just aimlessly scrolling through apps for nothing in particular. Simply having the time without distractions to let my mind wander and write down ideas was so valuable. It felt so new and unique. But I know it shouldn’t.
There are conveniences I gave up with my phone. But the freedoms and time and other unexpected gifts I gained from this experience are priceless.
When I dropped my phone in the box, I thought I was learning about sacrifice. What I really learned is the Law of Subtraction. This is typically applied to process improvement in business and can be defined as “the principle that removing unnecessary (or wasteful) elements from a system, process, or design leads to greater efficiency, clarity, and impact.” I found this principle equally applies to our human experience. I can’t say my phone is completely unnecessary, but how I use it is largely unnecessary and wasteful. I used to dismiss my screen time stats as unreliable and overstated. I don’t anymore. I felt every hour I gained without my phone. I gave up my main distraction, and gained so much more!
Instead of adding new habits and apps to my life, going forward I will look first for what to subtract from my life to add impact, richness, and purpose!
