On a recent visit to Barnes and Noble in Cumming, Georgia, I nestled myself at a table on the far side of the store (away from the noise at the cafe) and started a small experiment.
I was considering a few marketing-related quotes from some well-known people from history - Mark Twain and Albert Einstein, for example. And I considered what the world was like when they said things like "Many a small thing has been made large by the right kind of advertising." That was Mr. Clemens. And "Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow." Said Genius Einstein.
Ok, fine, that last quote isn't directly related to marketing but it certainly can be applied! And it's at least a kinder sentiment than "There's a sucker born every minute." P.T. Barnum did *not* say this, by the way.
I considered the lack of "noise" that was in the world when these men occupied it and, we can't deny, changed it forever. Then I thought about my "noise."
On a daily basis my email inbox is saturated with daily notifications of the latest sale, new product or job opportunity. My iPhone is an endless source of Tweets, Facebook posts and texts. (And low and behold, a phone call once in awhile!) I have an app for every one of my needs. Need a recipe? Got 4 apps for that. Not sure about going to the pool? Check the weather app. Want a good laugh? Well click on the Sir Charles Barkley quote app! (Random sample: "My family got all over me because they said Bush is only for the rich people. Then I reminded them 'Hey, I'm rich.'" Classic Barkley!) Heard there was an accident on 400? Check the traffic app (actually, it's safe to just assume there's been an accident). And so the experiment was born:
40 Days Minutes of Unplugged
Surrounded by books and cards and gift items I decided to turn my electronics off. Computer - check. Nano - check. iPhone...oh dear. Ok. Wait, gotta look one last time...right, for real now - check.
I lasted 2 minutes before I checked the weather. Yes, it's true, rather than look out the window I did a quick check of the radar on the app. OK for real now. Close it and turn it off.
After that first little slip I was ok. I quickly started into a state of journaling. By hand. This isn't so bad! I love writing and I'm an expert at 'stream of conscious!' But then a few minutes went by and the distractions were relentless!
I don't know about you but I'm not sure I would have survived the Pioneer Days. Oh I know what you're thinking - if I didn't know any different it wouldn't be that bad. True. But I'm just saying that the lingering quiet is deafening and the idea of cleaning my clothes with ice cold creek water and a rock doesn't sound good to me.
I start to feel out of touch 12 minutes into this. I'm haunted by what my Facebook friends might be up to!
As the time ticks by I keep on journaling.
Then: more distractions. Some crazy kid started clanging a mini-gong in the book-end section. Over and over! I was about to come up with a clever plan to scare the juice out of her when her grandpa finally shouted what I was thinking: "ENOUGH!"
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| Stupid gong!! |
My eyes are actually feeling rested, which is nice. I'm enjoying looking at things that are not backlit....so that's good.
Practicing this focusing, I spotted a series of cards nearby. They all have kitschy sayings that are supposed to encourage or launch someone into success. For example: "dance. love. sing. live." and "You are so much sunshine to the square inch!" (What?) And "Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you've imagined." (Horribly flawed theory - if for no other reason than life is completely unpredictable!)
I desperately want to check my email. I also want to tell that screaming child on the other side of the store to snap out of it!
Water. I need water! I chug some of my overpriced bottled water and look out of the window. It's still raining (didn't even need the app!)
That's when I did it. With only 8 minutes to go I broke down and checked my email on my phone. Nothing. Now I feel shame. Look back out the window. It's still raining. It's like God is crying tears of disappointment in me.
It's only been about 35 minutes and I realize I should have look at the time when this started... I resign to watching some bad drivers fight over a parking spot as kids, who are home from school enter the store...they're about to disrupt the peace.
I count down the seconds to the noise. Hoping they head to the cafe...
40 minutes is up! I instantly hop on the phone to check news headlines. Because that is reality. It's true. I'm hooked. I need help. My name is Katrina and I can't function without my iPhone.
Excellent post, Kat! The other day I was thinking about how incredibly addictive the web has become. For me, I am just so afraid I'm going to miss something! I have a constant desire to be "in the know." The internet and all of our devices that utilize it satisfy that need. Remember how we used to reference the Encyclopedia when we wanted to learn more about something? My, how times have changed! I do need to unplug more and have recently been successful in doing so. It is challenging!
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