<p>I have decided to start carrying an A5 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 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>
<h2id="journaling">Journaling</h2>
<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>
<description>Blog posts on Sufyaan's website</description>
<item>
<title>Carrying a Pocket Notebook</title>
<link>https://sufyaan.me/nb/</link>
<guid>https://sufyaan.me/nb/</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 29 Jul 2024 23:39:00 GMT</pubDate>
<description>
<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>
<h2id="journaling">Journaling</h2>
<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>
</description>
</item>
<item>
<title>Why Smartphone Upgrades are Obsolete</title>
<link>https://sufyaan.me/upgrades/</link>
<guid>https://sufyaan.me/upgrades/</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 25 May 2024 23:39:00 GMT</pubDate>
<description>
<p>Smartphone manufacturers are spending more than ever before on marketing, but consumers are upgrading less. What could be the factor behind this widening gap?</p>
<p>Individuals are upgrading their devices less after the pandemic, and the numbers keep getting worse for companies. Advertisements and incentives to upgrade are still widespread, but their effectiveness is taking a hit. Nothing seems to be reducing this disparity, which is unnerving for almost everyone. <strong>Why exactly is this happening now?</strong></p>
<p>To fully answer that question, we have to analyze the market. To put it simply, <strong>there have been no groundbreaking innovations in the smartphone sphere for a while.</strong> Gone are the days where each smartphone event would make you jump in excitement because of features that were unheard of. The current state of the market consists of oligopolies re-branding each other's features. Care is directed towards <em>bringing in fans</em>, rather than innovating.</p>
<p>Think of the last smartphone announcement event you saw which genuinely had you impressed. For the majority, this takes a bit of thinking. For everyone, the event was a few years ago. The most recent events which shocked the populace are the following events:</p>
Sufyaan