My normal day:
I had a bizarre idea of living one day without the use of mobile phone, television
and computer. I knew it wouldn't be easy and guess what? It wasn't! My day
started late by 11 am. As there was nothing significant to do, I ended up reading the
entire day. I finished a book 'When Only Love Remains' by Durjoy Datta. I
even liked it, for a change. (Its review will be up soon.) After the usual morning chores, I made a note of
happy memories. I got this clever idea of making chits of happy days and
storing it in a jar from The
Pretty City Girl. It's more intriguing than diary writing. After this
little fun activity, I went back to reading and stopped only for lunch at 1 pm. Post
lunch was witnessed with more reading until 3.30 pm. I also took a nap of 45 minutes which freshened me. I took a break for exercise. I
had tea and food after which I headed for an evening stroll. I literally had
nothing to do which is why I just wandered around in the rainfall. I came home by
7.15 pm. I took some rest and finished the love story until 9 pm. Post-dinner I had no idea what I should do as that's mostly common
television time. I couldn't start another book unless I wanted my head to spin.
So, after considering the options, I forced my brother to play carrom with me. Time flew by while playing the game in which I won. Soon, it was 11 pm and I dozed off. The first thing I thought of when I woke up
today was my mobile!
My
day without electronics:
I'm sure that must have sounded like it was quite simple but in this segment I'll tell you all those minor problems I faced. First of all, I decided to wake up late on purpose so that I'll avoid some part of the one day break up from my favourite gadgets. Secondly, while making those chits, I had to think when which incident happened. I usually write based on the chats which help me navigate through the month. I wrote about the recent memories. But the ones in the first week of June, I had to write today after referring the dates. Thirdly, as I was scheduling the future posts on blog, I forgot which date it was. I didn't have my mobile to check. Next was when I couldn't set up an alarm for my afternoon nap. Further, I couldn't listen to music while working out. Then, I had to wait till today to update my goodreads bookshelf after finishing the novel. The time when I was keen on putting up that snapchat story while walking, playing carom and also reading while having tea. (Photos of a book with a cup of tea or coffee are my favourite.) The moment when I returned from my walk, I had almost given up as I just craved to watch that new episode from 'Pretty Little Liars' but I held on. Somehow, I survived the day.
Lessons learnt:
1. I found that I'm more addicted to TV than I am to
my mobile. As that's the best thing during holidays, most of my time goes in
watching series and movies. After thinking about this I realised, I could spend lesser time on my mobile if I want to. And, I have used my
mobile today for a much lesser time than I normally do. Also, I should cut down
some television time.
2. Music
isn't always necessary while exercising. I
used the parallel time for thinking and it works out really well. One song was
constantly playing in my head. But, apart from that, it was really good and
peaceful working out without music.
3. We
aren't handicapped without electronics. There
are studies that say that humans cannot live without their gadgets. I think
that it'll be difficult but it's not impossible. I couldn't keep a track of
time because I had no mobile while my walk. (I didn't wear a watch because of
rains.) But, as I passed by some shops, I just saw a clock in one and the
question was resolved. It's that simple. Instead of an e-book, I read a
physical book. Also, when I couldn't write the book review online, I just wrote
it in my notebook. So, it's actually quite bearable without gadgets.
4. Books
are saviours. I cannot
imagine what I'd have done without books. There's not a day I don't read. If
everyone develops a reading habit, then it'll be much better. Instead of
entertainment via TV, they will start to prefer entertainment via books. Also,
newspapers are the best compared to mobile applications or news channels.
5. Without the distraction of constant buzzing of
phone, you can run some
errands. Work must be done whether now or later. I got a number of things
done yesterday which I had been procrastinating the whole week. And the feeling
when you're done with it is one of satisfaction.
6. You
understand who really cares about you. When a person who's constantly
online disappears for an entire day, then people leave messages or call. You
understand if you really matter to them.
7. Food
diet is easier than electronic diet.
Have you done something like this? How was your
experience?
