When I was a child, I could entertain myself with the most seemingly mundane things. On any given day you could, for example, find me jumping into a pile of sofa cushions from the highest step I dared to leap from (not recommended), or concocting vile potions by mixing anything in the kitchen cupboards I could get my hands on.
Marmite, strawberry milkshake concentrate, and milk, was, if I remember correctly, a stomach-churning step too far. Adventure and wonder were around every corner, but somewhere along the way, I’ve lost both. And I miss them.
Naturally, part of this is simply the flickering flame of childhood innocence being snuffed out by pesky things like bills, visits to the dentist, and mysterious car warning lights. I miss the days when I was seemingly incapable of being bored, filling my spare time any which way I saw fit, living in the moment without a care in the world.
The other reason for this loss of living in the present, is tech. Today, like, dare I say, most people reading these words, I find myself in a rut. Mindlessly scrolling through my phone, I’m letting time — our most precious resource — slip through my fingers with reckless abandon. Sure, my Reddit addiction means I’m up to date on the latest (numerous) Trump campaign debacles. And yes, my knowledge of memes, GIFs, and cat-related subreddits is second to none. But I can’t deny that I’m spending far too many of my waking hours crunching my neck, staring down at a slab of rectangular glass, and consuming more fleeting content than my brain could possibly ever hope to handle.
As a self-confessed nerd and gadget fan (not to mention, someone who writes about tech for a living), I realise the hypocrisy in all of this. For what it’s worth, I’ve wanted to reevaluate my relationship with tech for a while, but have filed these intentions away in the dark corner of my brain reserved for delaying other overwhelming tasks, like learning Japanese, reading more books, re-learning how to play the drums, and sorting out the recycling at a reasonable hour.
Recently however, an opportunity arose which, while not an immediate cure for my scrolling addiction, has, at least, put me on the first of many stepping stones towards a healthier relationship with tech in general.
Walk this way
When I first received an invitation to go on the Fjällräven Classic UK — a 50km/31m multi-day hiking/camping expedition through the remote wilderness of the Lake District, my first thoughts were a.) this sounds scary, and b.) this is exactly the kick I need to begin sorting myself out. So I accepted the invitation immediately and without much thought, beyond the fact that it would be good for me. In some way. Probably. And, incredibly sore feet aside, after crossing the finish line three days after we set off at the glorious Muncaster Castle, I’m happy to report that it was.
As it turns out, for someone who’s never camped even once in their life (unless passing out in a tent at Bestival for one night counts), I couldn’t have asked for a better introduction to the Great Outdoors. Fjällräven’s Classic events (which take place all over the world from Korea and Sweden, to Chile, Denmark, the US, UK, and more) combine challenging traversals through jaw-dropping landscapes, with the safety and security of a dedicated team of cheery workers and volunteers on-hand to sort out the route, food, and infrastructure.
And the best part? It’s not a race. In keeping with the brand’s aim to make the great outdoors accessible for everyone at whatever pace and difficulty they like, there’s no pressure or expectations beyond simply having a great time. Which I did — once I’d thought up some rules for myself, that is.
Let it go
For starters, I would leave my phone in Ultra Battery Saver mode. Airplane mode was, of course, another option, except the absolutely zero coverage out in the wilderness took care of that particular issue. I’d also check in with friends and family each day back at camp to let them know that I hadn’t been mauled by any renegade cattle. But apart from that, my smartphone — my portal to infinite, mindless distractions — was relegated to filling the role of a slim and capable digital camera.
But even this wasn’t quite enough, for I have a bit of problem when it comes to smartphone photography. When I’m at an event or on holiday, I often return realising that I spent far too much of it viewing things through my phone’s camera app rather than with my own eyes. Spending time composing the perfect shot is great and all, but if all you do is snap it and move on like I tend to do, you’re living in the moment in all the wrong ways.
Enter the Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses, complete with dual cameras for snapping and recording all the hiking action, without having to lift a finger or stare at a screen. This, I decided, would be the ultimate tool in helping me truly disconnect from distracting tech, while still capturing memories of my experience. The fact that there’s no way of framing shots and videos made it even more appealing, and I’m happy to report that it worked an absolute treat. Sure, it didn’t serve up shots as refined as ones I took on my smartphone, but in a way, I prefer the raw, first-person, experiential pics and videos snapped on them, and could relate to them more, given that I properly lived through each and every shot.
With these rules in place, I spent three days truly living minute by minute, swearing at the uncharacteristically hot September sun and steep hills one moment, while laughing with new friends while smashing back Kendal Mint Cake — one of the greatest culinary inventions in history, and one which I’m pretty sure saved my life with a burst of peppermint/glucose energy.
There were highs and lows of course (I genuinely thought I was going to tumble down into a pile of rocks at a particularly hairy moment at the end of the second day), but such is life. Heading back to civilisation after finally crossing the line some 90000 steps after setting off, my head was full of freshly forged memories, in a far more meaningful way than simply scrolling through my phone’s gallery app.
I haven’t quit Reddit yet, mind. That requires a level of willpower several steps further down the line. But I have actively used it less, and when I catch myself, phone in hand, zombie scrolling away, I make a point to put it down, look around, and see what else there is to do. Turns out, there’s a lot. Most of it isn’t fun of course (oh look, the dishwasher needs emptying again) but there’s something satisfying about doing literally anything other than staring down at that attention-sucking glass rectangle.
As for the next step, I’m looking at picking up a suitable dumb phone, to see if it can fully replace my smartphone while I’m around the house. HMD’s Barbie flip phone arrived today, and I’m looking forward to taking it for a spin. With no apps whatsoever (yes, even WhatsApp is missing), it’ll be the next big step to cutting down my screen addiction. It’s scary and exciting in equal measure, and I’m very much looking forward to seeing how I’ll cope. For now though, I might visit r/catswithjobs just one last time…
