Hamlet’s BlackBerry
William Powers
2010 240 pages
Published by HarperCollins
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And yeah, I bought this book, too. At least I read the paper version…I think Powers would be appalled at the thought of reading this one on an e-reader. Or, maybe he’d just be amused at the irony.
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I am slowly catching up with posts for a few books that I read back in September, which has got to be like a year ago in dog years. Why do I do this to myself? Is procrastination a necessary skill (is that even the right word?) for book bloggers? Or, as William Powers might suggest, is it a sign that we’re too obsessed with technology and our screen time.
You see how I procrastinated even more with that introductory paragraph? I could go on forever in a similar vein, but I’ll spare you the torture and offer a brief summary of the seven main points of this book and the philosophers who inspired the ideas (and this is where I confess to getting up and doing the dishes before getting to the summary…hey, at least I wasn’t checking email!):
- Physical distance – leave the technology behind (Plato)
- Inner space – Focus on one thing at a time. Narrow the crowd. Learn to be content within yourself and trust in your own ideas (Seneca)
- Technologies of inwardness – turn off the wi-fi on your device if you’re working on something else (Gutenberg)
- Old tools ease overload – use a journal to keep track of ideas, play board games, write a letter. Old tools can be fun and playful. And paper can free the mind to think (when you use the computer to write you use more mental energy in navigating) (Shakespeare)
- Positive rituals – strive for clarity and calm. Keep certain times screen free. Finish a task before starting something else. It is difficult to cultivate a happy inner life when you are always distracted (Benjamin Franklin)
- Walden zones – keep designated areas free of technology (Thoreau)
- Lower the inner thermostat – focus locally, not globally. Narrow your focus online, chose an un-Smart phone (McLuhan)
This is a good book to read when you’re feeling overwhelmed with technology, when you’re feeling the pressure to comment on every blog you read, post every day, answer every comment and email. It will help put things in perspective and make you think about ways to quiet your mind. It also helps with the guilty feelings. Powers talks a lot about how modern life emphasizes being connected and cultivates the idea that this is a good thing. In contrast, being disconnected is bad. Society is putting pressure on us to keep up with technology and all that it brings along (email, constant access to news and new ideas, instant connection with people, the ability to connect to more people, and on and on and on). This means that it is increasingly difficult to turn inward and tune out distractions. Powers challenges us to seek depth of thought and feeling, and he believes the way to do that is to intentionally minimize contact with technology and the outside world. His seven strategies are just ideas for helping to disconnect from the chaos and focus on yourself.
Granted, I find it hard to do most of these things…but at least it got me to thinking about doing it. And I do try to remember the inner space and positive rituals suggestions…focus on one thing at a time. It doesn’t mean I do it, but I find it helps me feel less frazzled if I think about doing it. Baby steps, I guess.
The positive rituals one seems off-base to me. I mean, sometimes, distractions are a good thing and can be used to help yourself focus. I personally love having twitter open as I’m writing because my twitter client refreshes every six minutes. It doesn’t make a sound, just turns blue. Every six mins or so, I pull my brain out of writing land to focus on something else. If I’m stuck, that helps me to become unstuck. If I’m not stuck, then I don’t have a problem ignoring the little blue icon. Technology, if you learn how to use it in a way it works for you, can actually make you a more productive person, and more creative as well. It’s all about adapting to a new way of thinking, rather than using technology the same way you’ve used other stuff in the past. Brain development is always a good thing.
I am in a constant war with all the technology available to me, and I think this book sounds like it would be really helpful to me. Often, I find it hard to just sit down to read, because I need to check my email, or hey! there’s a text message, or any number of other things that are distracting me. I get on the internet and find myself wasting hours and hours just clicking around here and there. My attention span has definitely gotten a lot shorter, and I find that if I don’t make myself turn off the computer after lunch, I will never get anything done. I also start lots of projects at the same time, and never seem to get any of them done. All that being said, I need to read this book for sure!
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Interesting idea for a book. I came home from a 2-week internet-free vacation realizing that I wanted to step way back from the blogging world and leave room in my life for other things. I still feel the guilt about not blogging more and especially about not reading/commenting, so I should read this book. One thing’s for sure, I’ve managed to fill the space left by not blogging enough that I’m wondering how I ever found the time.
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What a fascinating idea for a book! And so appropriate for us book bloggers.
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I’ve seen this book a couple of times but never bothered to actually look at how it was structured. I like the idea of pairing a philosopher with an idea–kind of a cool way to connect the past with the present. This kind of book can border on cheesy sometimes, I find, but it sounds like this one came down on the un- side.
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I think I could get behind this one and the title is certainly cute!
Perhaps I should read this…I do feel a little pressured by how much time I’m spending online lately. And, I love the “old tools” suggestion — I find I compose much better on paper than on screen – can just transcribe it when I need it
And you won’t find any arguments from me about the vast importance of journaling. I love it. And I love letter writing though I haven’t been doing as much of that as I used to ;(
Sometimes I miss the old days. If you wanted to talk to someone you had to make an effort — use the phone, your feet, your car. On the other hand, I would have never met you — and life would be less shiny.
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BTW: written pre-coffee in the early morning. Feel free to gag in the corner.
Beth F´s last [type] ..Thursday Tea- Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
For some reason, this post/book really spoke to me. I think I need to read it. It can feel overwhelming sometimes … and it is a good reminder that the “old disconnected’ ways weren’t necessarily bad.
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This sounds like a good book. A reminder that we need to be in control of the technology and not let the technology be in control of us.
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I would read this… I probably need to read this. I am always trying to do more… fit more in… wondering how important is sleep… really.
I know I need to set some boundaries on my online Twitter, blog surfing, post writing (or the guilt associated with lack there of) – and actually I think I am not as bad as I used to me…. but even then I feel some guilt about not actively stopping in on my favorite blogs to say “Heeeyyyyyyy!”
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Interesting! Having taken several blogging breaks, both intentional and unintentional over the last few months, I think I’m finally at a place where I don’t feel that much guilt. Who knows how long it will stay that way though!
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This should definitely be on my tbr list.
I really liked this book. The author reminded me of a nice old Grandfather, gently reminding the reader that it’s ok to just disconnect sometimes – I enjoyed the tone.
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I feel like I am an unabashed proponent of technology/connectedness, but I do draw lines. I don’t want a phone with internet (I’ve only just gotten texting), and I never do phone stuff when I’m out with people. But I am very fond of my computer and reading blog posts and things, and I get sad and antsy when I don’t have it. :p
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