In the midst of reducing technologies, I added a new one to the mix.
Okay, it's not exactly new. I had a Kindle Paperwhite. My wife has been using mine for a while as she has a subscription to Kindle Unlimited. Wanting to best utilize my subscription to Readwise (it takes my digital highlights and annotations and organizes them for later use), I purchased a Kindle Scribe.
The upgrade here is I can also write. It's a tablet with eInk screen technology. You can create a library of notebooks and folders on the Kindle.
I'm not sure if this was an impulse buy or something more.
In favor of the Kindle Scribe (and where my bias currently lies with the money I spent):
  • It can replace my tendency to want to check social media or my email. I can read and take notes all in once space without access to the Internet.
  • My handwriting can be converted to text, which could help if I am struggling to write on my computer.
  • I can reduce the number of physical books I need to purchase, which is nice for my work in which I travel a decent amount.
  • And, of course, my wife can have my Kindle White.
Against? The big negative I see is I now have one more device in my world. I still have my old smartphone, a Google Pixel, which I now use more as an iPod, mostly for the FitBit app (I have the Google watch to track exercise, steps, etc.). I have a flip phone for personal calls and an iPhone for work. Plus, my laptop and desktop.
I think there is something to be said for the increased cognitive load we carry when we bring more devices into our lives. Each one holds at least one commitment or responsibility. I'd like to say we would get rid of them otherwise, yet we still have old Kindles stored away in shelves. They probable still work. (My favorite was the one with the push buttons. The digital keyboards of the newer Kindles aren't as good.)
I'm not going to return the Scribe, of course. Instead, I am going to invest in learning how it best works to support the intentional life I want. How can I utilize the notebooks to capture notes and ideas based on what I read? What software and hardware do it replace? Can I consolidate my arsenal of digital tools a bit, and free up some mental space for non-technological activities.
Speaking of which, I accomplished what I wanted to do on Day 2 of this declutter: I created an impromptu compost pile for all of the grass clippings and pulled weeds my city is no longer picking up.
I was tempted to Google for the best approach here, or to ask ChatGPT if laying down weed barrier and then weeds on top would keep down the growth between fences. But I resisted. It's an experiment, which is what makes leisure enjoyable for me.