this one weird trick
I'm cleaning out my email inbox, and maybe it's the repetitive tone of all these newsletters that makes me want to write (I can do it too!) or maybe it's that I actually have an idea of substance for once:
ALLOW ME, IF YOU WILL, to brainstorm about what it would take to stop relying on an iphone.
can you believe that the search query "what's the phrase about how app icons are based on an obsolete version of the thing they're replacing -ai" actually led me to the right word? skeuomorphism. "A skeuomorph is a design element or physical feature that mimics the appearance, texture, or structure of a real-world object from an earlier time."
the thought of cataloguing each app one uses and deciding how to best replace it with its respective skeuomorph has always appealed to me. and I'll have a lot more fun doing it if maybe you come along.
I'm not looking to completely replace my phone here - just to see how much I can decentralize my needs to other, potentially more tangible objects. there have been a few occurrences recently in which either my phone has died or the power has gone out with my battery very low, and each time I have been bereft. bereft from the lack of phone to lean on AND the discomfort of realizing how much I seem to need it.
okay! let's start with my homepage:
CALENDAR: I already have a paper calendar/agenda/diary/planner that I take everywhere, and I already write in that instead of using the one on my phone. I basically just use the digital one to look up what dates fall where. not particularly reliant on or bothered by this app.
CLOCK: ahh. yeah.
what does the clock app do?
I'm using it right now to set 30-minute timers so I can keep track of time passing while I work. having a timer on can feel like a container, a sensible boundary, something in which to be held. sometimes I set a stopwatch instead so I can watch time moving forward (can you tell I'm timeblind??) but stopwatches, having no end point, are much easier to lose track of.
if I were to stop using my iphone to tell the time, I would need either a reliable watch or clocks in every room. I would also need an alarm clock that doesn't make me want to throw it against the wall.
there are many clocks made for people with ADHD and time management issues, so many that I don't know where to begin to look. but that's a comfort at least.
now if someone would invent a watch for sensory issues...
(a long time ago I thrifted this vintage watch with a thin leather band and tiny celestial symbols on a gorgeous diamond-cut glass face. but I've always been afraid to wear it and ruin it. sigh.)
PHOTOS/CAMERA: hahahahaha.
okay I will be daring and post this unfinished! and I'll come back to edit when I have time. it's 4:05pm and I haven't consumed anything but water and coffee. that sounds really unhealthy but it actually feels like a good thing? I have received zero hunger cues, including acid reflux, weakness, dizziness, fogginess, etc. I'm not fasting on purpose, I'm just listening to my body????? okay fine I'll make a salad thank you.
in other news, I have to delete my netflix account today (it should never have gone beyond the free trial!) and I love the show "Too Much" because I watch all the scenes with Will Sharpe and fastforward through the rest. subscribe for more hot tips.
I'm having a hard time titling this post but it really could just be called "here's what every ADHD symptom looks like in case you were wondering"
I want to hear about your digital respite tactics too. someday I'll figure out a way to set up a comment section ~
love you,
chelsea ♥