Leaving home without my phone
On bringing myself intentional boredom
I have to be in the hall fame of podcast listeners. According to my podcast app of choice, overcast.fm, I’ve been listening to roughly ~600 hours a year (25 days). This is down from four-digit years of college in the late twenty-teens → into covid. I was admittedly someone who outwardly hated music (something I now am learning to find joy in) and regardless of the occasion: a long drive, going to the gym, taking a long drive, etc., I would fill the silence with conversation.
I don’t resent podcasts, quite the opposite in fact — I believe they’re one of the core reasons I grew intellectually and culturally. They were a free, endless stream of input/stimulus that I would’ve never found access to growing up in rural Iowa. However, putting my headphones on before leaving my apartment became a deeply engrained behavior. This hamstrung my ability to be fully present.
A couple weeks ago, in the Weekly Relay, we reflected on a few articles surrounding being present by disconnection (think: brooklyn meets the unibomber manifesto). Here at Relay, we’re as sick of “It really is that damn phone” content as anyone. However, it prompted some discussion in the weekly group chat (comments) about setting some goals to be more present outside of our mandatory computer time.
In the last few weeks, I’ve done these things and more to be present while I traverse New York City. I’ve left my devices at home, my girlfriend and I have found joy in writing to-do & grocery lists in a little pocket notebook, and mapping out a route before leaving home gives us a little adventure every time we depart.
Most importantly, it has forced me to just be bored. My mind feels more at peace because it can catch up during the day’s baked-in downtime. It turns out, after a really long day at work, or on a Saturday morning walk to the coffee shop, I really don’t need political commentary, someone else’s fun and easy banter, or a readout of today’s market moving news. Instead, I can just be a pedestrian—looking around and listening.
I want this article to do no more than to prompt you to try and leave the phone at home, or set aside a moment or two this week to just force yourself to be present. I posit not many of you have rituals baked into the week that intentionally bore you. Similarly, I’d bet the last time you took a drive to the supermarket without car audio was thoughtlessly long ago. Go be an NPC this week in your local environment, and see how your perspective changes.
I’ve saved 698 hours (~29 days) alone just using overcast.fm's SmartSpeed feature, which dynamically cuts out whitespace or dead air, it is amazing.
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NPC and saunter, all the kids are doing it
no headphones also leaves room to converse with the more interesting passerby’s as well. fun article!