<p>I have decided to start carrying an A6 pocket notebook with me everywhere I go, starting from tomorrow. This includes the places that I don't take my phone to. The goal I have is to improve my mental wellbeing and reduce my dependence on technology.</p>
<p>I will have a large use-case for my notebook. I will note the various events that take place throughout the day, and the feelings I have during those events. In the case of extreme emotions, I will write it out as well. Since I journal daily, this will provide a small, procedural event log, which will assist me when I finally sit down to recap my day.</p>
<h2id="productivity">Productivity</h2>
<p>In terms of productivity, a funny revelation I have had is that digital to-do lists never work for me, despite the fact that I prefer digital tools over anything else. The speed by which I can write and cross off tasks is amazing. Digital tools have too much friction. They make it easy to add tasks, but do not provide a feeling of urgency.</p>
<p>Having a notebook with me means that I can work effectively without having my phone nearby. The ability to write out your urges to tend to them later is spectacular! I work well already. I hope that this notebook can help me capitalize on that feeling.</p>
<p>How am I going to reduce the impulsivity of using my phone? It's simple. I will keep the notebook in my right pocket, which is where I keep my phone. I'll keep my phone in my left pocket. This makes it so that I take my notebook out instead of my phone. Then, I will note down the reason why I picked up my phone in a neat table, stating the importance of the task. After I tally it up by the end of the experiment, I will (hopefully) come to the conclusion that most of the reasons to use my phone are useless.</p>
<h2id="outro">Outro</h2>
<p>There was a time in my life where I depended too much on technology. A third of the day on social media with poor quality work. I have made immense progress over the years, with my screen time barely hitting two hours daily. I hope that this notebook is a step in the right direction. I wish to reduce my daily screen time to half-an-hour, and increase my productivity. If this minor change proves rewarding, I will have made a major change in my life. If not? It was just a bit of money spent.</p>
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