Leonardo Bertinelli

📜 Noise reduction

NARRATIVES

August 28, 2024

“When you are present, the world is truly alive.”

Transforming my iPhone into a “dumb phone” has been an interesting upgrade. Funny that I call it an upgrade, if in reality it is a downgrade, a limitation of the phone’s functionalities. This experiment has been triggered by reading Digital Minimalism, a book by Cal Newport.

The goal is to reduce digital noise and distractions. How did I achieve it? Focus Mode on the iPhone filters which notifications I get, who can reach me, and which apps are displayed on the home page. The screen is black and white, so the visual experience is less appealing and less stimulating. It is simply boring. There are exceptions, of course. For example, when using Maps, I switch the screen to colors so that traffic data is easier to read.

I have always been exercising, running, and hiking without headphones to become fully engaged in my body and the activity itself. By applying the same concept to everyday life, I am now more aware of my surroundings, focused on the present, and attuned to the people around me. I am stimulated to pay attention to smells, noises, and conversations.

I am writing this piece while sitting in the waiting room of the doctor’s office. The air is softly blowing through the AC vents, the click of the mouse at the front desk is a whisper in the quiet room, and the attenuated sound of traffic echoes in from the street. My breathing is slow and deep.

I feel present, so I feel alive.