When smartphones began to become popular in Japan, I encountered a tweet like this: "I don't feel like being connected to the internet all day, even when I'm away from home." I remember I agreed with this tweet and hit a star of fav to it. I didn't yet realize the potential downsides of smartphones at that time. In my opinion, they can take over your life — not because you can take them out any time, but because you can literally use them around the clock, even in bed. That's really scary.

Smartphones can do almost anything. They serve as maps, cameras, timers, dictionaries, portable televisions, watches, tuners, metronomes, and surprisingly enough — phones! I used to be addicted to my phone. Whenever I pick it up to do research, for example, I frequently found myself mindlessly scrolling through it until I've forgotten why I picked it up in the first place. And of course I used to take it into my bed.

However, thankfully, I don't do those things anymore. There are certain reasons for that.

1. I came to the conclusion that I didn't want to use my fingers for unimportant things. I have to use my fingers extensively for work and guitar!
2. I finally realized I didn't want to use my eyes for trivial tasks either.
3. Thanks to Journaly, I was able to walk away from Twitter.

I bought a watch, a tuner, and a metronome in order to keep a healthy distance from my phone. This goes against in the face of minimalist philosophies, but I'm actually ok with that. Additionally, I purchased a soft case like a futon for my phone and let it sleep when I'm home. I think my phone is very happy with that, too.