This morning, my niece (11) shared with me her ideas for a story she wants to write. The story is quite complex—perhaps a bit too complex—and heavily centered around family intrigue, which I'm not entirely a fan of. Still, I was awed by the energy she's pouring into it and into her writing in general. She's really great, and the inspiration she planted in me has been simmering all day.

For a moment, I thought, "Wow, where does she find all the time to work on this?" And then it hit me. Of course—she has no phone, no computer, not even a gaming console. She has nothing but herself.

This morning, she asked her mother if she could use her PC to write the story, but her mom told her she couldn't. Originally, I thought it was silly not to let her, as writing on a computer is a lot faster. But now, I think it's for the best. There's just waaay too much distraction to be found on a PC, and it's possible her story would fizzle out as it dilutes itself among other interests¹.

This is what happens to me, I guess. Way too many things calling for my attention, and I give a bit to all of them. Posts to write, projects to work on, games to play, games to make, photos to clean up, a site to improve, people to catch up with, blogs to read, emails to answer, etc. And I'm happy to do these things, as they do give me pleasure and make me feel fulfilled and meaningful, but at the same time... Ah! So much stuff!

Though it's my own fault—I go out looking for things to occupy my time. Perhaps it's out of a fear of boredom, or perhaps it's a risk-avoidance mechanism, where I keep myself busy so I don't have to do the things I really want to do but am too scared to start (or don't know how to).

The other day, I was talking with my wife about something related to this—how much time we spend in our digital lives—and she proposed we do cellphone-free nights. I might take her up on that offer.

~ 🌱

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Footnotes

1. Something like the Zerowriter looks like an awesome alternative, offering the typing ergonomics of a keyboard, but the distraction free environment of a notebook. Though perhaps just pen and paper ain't so bad. ↩