Time Is Not the Obstacle: Lessons Learned from my Second Tech-Free Day
Shell Lake, Wisconsin
Whenever somebody says, "oh, I wish I could do that, but I just don't have enough time..." I roll my eyes at them (sometimes quite literally) because I know that not having enough time is not the obstacle. Having fucked up priorities and potentially not living in tune with their true values is the actual problem.
Nevertheless, time is one of the primary limitations of the human condition, so learning to work with it and manage it properly is of utmost importance. I've written about time management extensively in the past, and I'll write about it more in the future. While using lack of time as an excuse is a massive red herring and indicates a dramatic failure to think about your life critically, investing the time to analyze our time usage and see how we can make the most of the limited time we have on planet earth is an endlessly fascinating exercise.
And I was reminded of this on my second dedicated tech-free day.
On my first tech-free day, I learned to combat the anxiety that comes from wanting to constantly check my phone and see what the latest update is. The primary learning from my second tech-free day was simply a reminder that we have vast amounts of time at our disposal.
Here's how my day went.
I woke up at 6:30 am, but since I didn't need to be anywhere in a hurry, I relaxed in bed for almost an hour, slowly waking up and getting moving on the day. Then I got up, tried mindfulness meditation for about the second time ever, made coffee and breakfast, and dug into my normal journaling practice. Again, since I didn't have to be anywhere in a hurry, I took my time journaling, stretching it out to 45 minutes or so.
Our primary goal for the day was to go SUPping on the nearby lake and spend some time chilling on the lakeshore. Even with a relaxed morning, my girlfriend and I were mobilized and out the door around 9 am, and on the water by 10 am at the latest.
We spent hours paddling on the lake, wading in the water, soaking in the sun, enjoying an easy lunch, organizing the van, and simply enjoying a beautiful (if HOT!) summer day in the Rocky Mountains. It was heavenly.
On our way back, we stopped for a late lunch/early dinner at a local restaurant, taking our time and enjoying the atmosphere as we discussed plans for the future, and tried to strategize some of our upcoming travels. On the drive back, we took some time to check out a few local landmarks, like a Vietnam Veteran's Memorial perched high on a hill, with sweeping views of the entire valley. Afterward, we took care of some grocery shopping and other chores before arriving back at the condo.
Once home, we spent more time hanging out, talking, cleaning, cooking, eating, and simply living life. We weren't in a hurry to do literally anything at all, and yet we were able to accomplish so many things.
By the time we crawled into bed shortly before 10 pm, I couldn't believe what a long, drawn-out, languorous day we had, and yet all the things that we still managed to accomplish.
Oh, and by the way, I managed to read over 160 pages of nonfiction over the course of the day, too.
One of the reasons that the day felt so beautifully, wonderfully long was that it was the 13th of June, about a week before the summer solstice and the longest day of the year. I can't get enough of these long daylight hours and absolutely love the lengthening dusk between 8 and 9 pm as the sun slowly disappears. But despite the long daylight hours, even on this tech-free day, I didn't spend the entire day outside in the sun. Sure, I spent vast amounts of it outside, but after baking on the lakeshore for hours, I had to remove myself from the direct sunlight to prevent further skin damage. I concluded that even during other times of the year, I may be able to spend a similar amount of time outdoors.
I wasn't even awake for any more hours than normal. Instead, I got up and went to bed about the same time I usually do.
The only thing that really changed was removing the distraction of technology and the pressure of feeling that I had to be connected.
It's unbelievable the amount of time we waste by simply mindlessly scrolling on our devices, getting absolutely nothing accomplished. As I documented previously, the average American wastes about 3.5 hours per day between their smartphones and watching TV. And that's the average, here. By definition, some people have to be way, way higher to account for all the other people that successfully embody the Outside 365 lifestyle and have removed that bull shit from their lives.
Think about all of the things that you can do in three and a half hours:
That's more time than I spent SUPping on my tech-free day.
3.5 hours is a reasonably-long mountain bike ride—roughly 21 to 35 miles, depending on your average speed.
3.5 hours is more time than most people spend skiing in a typical day on the mountain.
You can drive at least 245 miles on the interstate in 3.5 hours.
Most creatives who actually track their schedule and productive periods (and are honest with themselves) don't even have 3.5 hours of truly productive work time per day. Most of the rest of the day is consumed by emails, bull shit meetings, fucking off on Reddit, and... well, probably checking the smartphone, where we began this entire exercise.
…and so many more.
Removing the amount of time waste in our lives can liberate us to replace those wasted hours with things we truly care about, like being active outside. Or we can replace it with... nothing at all. Sometimes, the best thing you can do with your time is absolutely nothing.
