Logging Out More Often

The power of disconnecting

If you want a printed edition of Moving Offline (it will include all of the articles from January to March plus at least 1 offline-only article), you can go ahead and pre-order it on my website: https://josebriones.org/store/p/x75r0gj6e4jog355qvsya8ofg48ats

I hope to make this a quarterly endeavor, but we’ll see how this first print goes :)

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Seeking Discomfort

This week, while diving into Michael Easter's "The Comfort Crisis" via Libby, I stumbled upon a fascinating revelation about our modern-day struggles with smartphone screen time. Quite frequently, Easter's research sheds light on how the absence of silence and nature in our lives is gradually taking a toll on our well-being.

According to the book, our noise exposure, whether digital or physical, surpasses that of previous generations. This constant stream of information and noise pollution¹ leaves us with little time for introspection and contemplation. Consequently, our minds are in a perpetual state of hyperactivity, resulting in increased levels of anxiety, fatigue, and stress.

While some suggest mindfulness or other remedies to address this issue, there's a pervasive notion in modern wellness culture that our health requires constant optimization. As Rina Raphael shared in “The Gospel of Wellness,” “Our health [has become] a catalyst for investment, one demanding negotiations, sacrifice, and performance. We need to purge our figures of excess fat, rid our minds of angry thoughts, cleanse our organs of “toxins,” and fix whatever is “wrong” with us.” This pressure extends to the digital realm, where various solutions promise to reclaim our time or offer quick fixes like screen time apps or blockers.

Inspired by Easter's free and simple insights, I'm eager to share three practical tips in this newsletter to help you disconnect more often and embrace the friction that paves the way for a more fulfilling life.

Photo by Scott Goodwill on Unsplash

Schedule Logout Time 90 Days Ahead

This first tip combines Easter’s suggestion to prioritize outdoor² experiences with my practice of planning trips at least 90 days in advance. In "The Comfort Crisis," the benefits of spending time in nature are repeatedly emphasized, highlighting its positive impact on our brains and bodies. Research has established a direct correlation between time spent in nature and increased levels of happiness and reduced stress. Therefore, by proactively scheduling camping trips or outdoor excursions in advance, we can ensure we allocate time for these experiences in our busy lives.

My 90-day rule serves as a practical guideline, allowing me to communicate my plans to supervisors, delegate work tasks, and craft an itinerary that promises relaxation and rejuvenation. Additionally, planning ahead often translates to cost savings on accommodations, flights, and other travel arrangements. Easter’s "20-5-3" rule further reinforces the importance of regular outdoor engagement, suggesting 20 minutes per day, 5 hours per month, and 3 days per year spent outdoors to maintain optimal balance for our minds and muscles.

For many, incorporating regular outdoor activities may seem daunting due to the interminable list of tasks provided by our jobs. However, integrating outdoor experiences into our calendars using the 90-day planning approach ensures that nature remains a priority in our lives, with reminders prompting us to engage with the natural world consistently. The 90-day principle can also help you plan some special time with family or friends to visit restaurants, watch movies, or have a much-needed staycation.

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Offline Media + Silent Days

As I sit down to write today, it's my designated online media day, a routine I follow every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. These are the days when I dive into podcasts, news articles, and catch up on the latest online trends that I’m interested in. However, Tuesdays are different. On Tuesdays, I steer clear of my desktop and instead immerse myself in a stack of newspapers throughout the day. My apartment complex offers copies of the Denver Post and the Wall Street Journal, which I collect on Sundays and lay on my table for Tuesday's reading pleasure.

Only after I've digested these offline sources do I venture into online tasks, whether for work or personal matters. I block all news, social media, and podcast sources (with NextDNS) on Tuesdays to finish work on time for my weekly date with my wife. So even when I am tempted to search for something, my desktop cannot access those web sources due to NextDNS configurations. Then, on Thursdays and Saturdays, I challenge myself to stay away from screens until 3 pm. During this time, I focus on household chores like cooking for the week, vacuuming, or tidying up the house.

This structured media schedule not only enables me to vary my sources of information but also prevents my brain from being overwhelmed by digital overload. Furthermore, it has enabled me to reintroduce the habit of reading printed material, a skill often neglected in today's screen-centric world (Bonus points for you if you are printing this short article and reading it on paper 😁). While digital media certainly has its advantages, I've found that dedicating time to read newspapers on Tuesdays is a valuable opportunity to reconnect with offline content and reclaim some much-needed personal time.

I’d like to encourage you to plan for both offline media and silent days in your schedule. Allowing yourself time to process information and reframe your week can help you tremendously in your search for a more meaningful life.

Photo by Sam Pak on Unsplash

Clear Your Browsing On Exit

Here's a final tip for today: clear your browsing data every time you exit the web.³ This simple action makes logging out the default behavior, reducing the temptation to mindlessly check social media or email when you return to your computer. While enabling this setting may seem minor, it adds a layer of inconvenience by erasing cookies, data, history, and autofill, requiring you to re-enter information upon returning to websites.

In today's digital age, we're constantly logged in by default, making our web experience seamless and effortless. However, adopting a default log-out behavior introduces intentionality, prompting us to actively decide how we spend our time online. As I've explored in “The Comfort Crisis,” many modern comforts, while convenient, can lead to unfulfilling lives dictated by societal norms and corporate agendas. Today, I encourage you to challenge these defaults and embrace friction as an opportunity for personal growth and self-discovery.

1. Here is the Web Archive version for those that do not like paywalls: https://archive.is/prbVG

2. Here is the Web Archive version for those that do not like paywalls: https://archive.is/A6Ff0

3. Here is a small guide on how to do it on most browsers: https://kb.iu.edu/d/ahic