In Your Words: Living With Digital Overload

November 10, 2023 | 6 min read

Do you feel impossibly distracted in the modern world?

“Just turn off Wi-Fi.”

“Put your phone down.”

“If you’re that easily distracted, you’re not a real writer.”

We constantly hear these comments from people who haven’t tried Freewrite. And when you’re a writer who’s struggling to put words on the page, those comments can be incredibly painful. But we’re here to tell you that: a) they're not true; and b) we know that because you're not alone.

We recently hosted a giveaway with the Light Phone, an awesome company just as obsessed with purposeful tech as we are. As part of the contest, participants were asked to share a moment of digital overload that affected their life. Do you know what we learned?

The problem is even worse than we thought.

Most people had trouble picking just one moment. And many were emotional when describing how overwhelming technology has affected their lives. As participant Phillip S. said:

“A moment suggests an isolated period of time with a set beginning and end — the internet does not encourage endings. Most video streaming sites will automatically begin another clip if the user does not intervene and stop the process, often even before the first video has reached the end of its runtime… The sun never sets in this realm.”

 

If you feel alone in your quest to simplify and use technology to support your life — rather than overpower it — we invite you to read a few of the responses below from fellow community members.

(Note: These are all real answers submitted to the giveaway, edited for clarity and length.)

 

 

On Missed Moments…

“I missed my daughter’s winning shot at her basketball game because I was too busy scrolling to be bothered to pay attention to her victory. NO MORE!” - Abrian S.

“I remember my daughter, at maybe two years old, stopping me from taking a picture. I think it was a banal, daily moment. She may have been eating a snack or reading a book, but I felt compelled to pull out my phone and snap a photo because, well, I did every day. Had I not had my smartphone, what would that moment have been? It would have been another pedestrian moment, but it would have been a moment my daughter knew I was there, all there.” - Jooun U.

“I was all-day death-scrolling and woke up one day with a grey beard. Literally.” - Joshua R.

 

On Remembering How To Be Bored…

“We live in times where the possibility of boredom is crushed beneath screens of information/distraction. When the internet was a place I would intentionally visit momentarily for answers to questions, it was an effective tool to assist curiosity. With the rise of social media, the world wide web has been rendered down to an entertainment digital slot machine where the price I pay is time.” - Carlo B.

“We must abhor this idea that we need to remain in a constant state of being entertained, and rather learn to be bored occasionally and present fully so we can experience these truly once in a lifetime moments that happen around us daily.” - Emily J.

  

On Mental & Physical Health…

“My most problematic relationship is with my phone.” - Harrison C.

“I’ve spent years stuffing my emotions, thoughts, and needs under wave after wave of novelty and instant gratification technology. I guess you could say I’m a true digital native. And I want to emigrate.” - Bryce U.

“I started to notice that there was a direct connection between my mental state and how prone I was to start scrolling on my phone mindlessly for a dopamine hit — the more anxious and stressed I was, the more I'd do it. And it would cycle the anxiety and stress upward instead of downward in a positive feedback loop.” - Havely C.

“From not being able to think clearly (brain fog) to shortened attention spans, I have come to the realisation that I need to take a break from normal screen use... After all, the definition of insanity is trying the same things over and over again and expecting different results.” - Jeremy

“It was 2016 and my cell phone broke. I decided to take the risk and go without a cellular device for some time. It was liberating. I wrote letters and sent them in the mail to keep in contact with loved ones. I experienced freedom. Rather than being a slave to a screen that always demanded my attention, I was free to be present in every situation, with who and what was right in front of me. My joy increased as anxiety decreased! I danced more. Laughed more. Lived every minute of the day to its fullest.” - Sara Z.

“My hand was achy from doing ‘the claw’ so often; holding my smart phone to look at news or check email, etc. Not only did it hurt, but I began to feel shame when I would do the claw, in spite of the pain. What had become of me?” - Chrissy W.

 

On Writing & Creativity…

“All I want is to be able to have a clear head so that the words and ideas can flow into something that is nourishing for me and the people I love most.” – Seth K.

“A specific typing device? Like watching my dad on the old IBM Selectric? He wrote books on it! He didn't watch videos on it! ... Return me to that time!” - John VP

“I've done a really concerted job over the last 5-6 years of becoming a digital minimalist — no social media anymore, unsubscribe from all the things, make my phone as dumb as possible — but not being able to separate my word processor from my web browser was my Achilles heel, no matter how hard I tried to make it otherwise.” - Julia W.

“It’s happened a million times: I felt an idea coming on, that low rumbling of something coming round the mountain, and in my excited urgency I ran to my phone to jot it down in my notes app — cut to a half hour later, I’m scrolling on something‚ I don’t know what, don’t care what‚ and the idea that had gripped me so urgently is lost forever to the wind.” - Sammie S.

“I was trying to write a story for class. My smartphone was synced to my laptop and I was getting an insane number of notifications. I ended up accidentally writing some lines from the messages into my story and didn’t realize it!” - Matt R.

“I am an independent hip-hop artist, and I would like to share some lyrics to a new song I've been writing called ‘Stuck’:

AYO WE STUCK - AYO WE STUCK
FACE STUCK UP IN OUR PHONES - EYES STUCK UP ON THE SCREEN
AYO WE STUCK - WHY ARE WE STUCK?
TRAPPED IN A NET WIT' PLENTY LIES IN THE STREAM”
- Douglas F.

 

On Touching Grass…

“…Drop the phone and go outside to dig my toes into some soft velvet chartreuse grass, only to turn around to pick up my phone to bring the camera along with me. I find wild mushrooms growing and snap a picture, at once remembering I have emails needing to be sent.” - Dalone L.

“Ding, buzz, click, scroll, click, click, rabbit hole, and not to any wonderland you'd want. Turn it off, take a breath, look around, you're alive!” – Eli A.

“It’s like trying to capture a photo of the full moon with a smartphone. Just enjoy the moment. Why burden yourself? Go Light.” - Noah M.

 

On Life Itself…

“[I was] almost hit by a car.” - Patrick S.

“…What I'm trying to say is I want my life back. It's just so hard to pull myself away from these distraction machines. I want that vigor for life outside of technology that I had when I was 18 and wanted to travel and live in every major city in the United States. I want to be that kid full of wonder about even the mundane. I want to write again. I want to read again. I want to be at home in the world again.” - Alexander A.

 

-------------

 

You’re Not Alone

One last quote from the giveaway to take with you:

“It feels like Light Phone and Freewrite are two friends coming in to say, ‘Hey, we got you! You don't have to break that habit alone.’” - Adonis D.

Hi, friends. 👋 Here at Freewrite, we create distraction-free drafting tools for the modern writer. Light Phone is a phone designed to be used as little as possible. Let’s live a little more, and a little more slowly, together.

Shop Freewrite | Shop Light Phone

Recommended articles

More recommended articles for you

October 03, 2024 5 min read

It’s easy to picture J.R.R. Tolkien sitting down and cranking out one fantasy masterpiece after another. After all, that’s how we read and experience his stories today. But in actuality, it took the writer 14 years and a very intensive writing process to complete the writings of Middle Earth we know and love today.

Let’s dig into four concepts that Tolkien relied upon to create his genre-defining world.

October 01, 2024 3 min read

We're just 10 weeks away from a major milestone: the 10th anniversary of Freewrite's launch on Kickstarter.  On December 10, 2014, we introduced the Smart Typewriter, then known as  "Hemingwrite," to the world.
How It Started
In September of 2014, co-founders Adam Leeb and Patrick Paul entered Hemingwrite into the “Insert Coin” hardware competition sponsored by Engadget. Described as a new digital consumer product for distraction-free writing composition, Hemingwrite aimed to deliver a singular focus on a productive writing experience. A decade later, that core mission remains unchanged.
Hemingwrite was one of 20 inventions competing that week, highlighting early-stage hardware startups from around the world that had not yet received funding or shipped to consumers.
"What the Kindle did for reading, we want to do for writing," said co-founder Patrick Paul at the time."We set out to deliver the same distraction-free writing experience of a typewriter with all of the added benefits of modern technology."
Co-founder Adam Leeb added,  "We combined all of the best aspects of the typewriter, theMoleskine, and the computer to create a modern classic."
Althoughthe Hemingwrite concept  didn’t win the competition,  the initial coverage by Engadget led to another press hit and then another and quickly it became a viral sensation around the world. The project was covered in everything from The Wall Street Journal to The Atlantic. Over 125,000 people came to the simple wordpress website at hemingwrite.com and over 8,000 anxiously input their email asking for updates on the project.
Adam and Patrick knew they had something special on their hands but weren’t sure if anyone was willing to pay for this idea or if it was simply interesting. On December 10, 2014 the Kickstarter campaign was launched and immediately the pledge dollars started rolling in. Within 20 hours of launch, the campaign had raised over $200,000! And just like that, the Hemingwrite distraction-free writing tool concept became destined for reality.
How It’s Going
Since that initial launch, we have developed Freewrite into a family of distraction-free writing tools with three distinct models, Smart Typewriter, Traveler, and Alpha. Each has their distinct personality, but the core value of maximizing writer productivity runs throughout. 
In 2020, The original Freewrite Smart Typewriter became part of the Science Museum, London’s permanent Printing & Writing Collection.
The name Hemingwrite was dropped in 2015 and then revived in 2021 with the Ernest Hemingway Special Edition Smart Typewriter in partnership with the Ernest Hemingway Estate. 
We’ve created Sprinter for distraction-free writing in any browser and WTF where thousands of people every week receive a writing prompt and participate in Writing Time Friday. 
The community's achievements over the past decade have been  astounding:
  • Freewrite users have created over 600,000 documents
  • Collectively,users have written more than 605 million words (equivalent to over 6,000 novels!)
It’s hard to believe that it’s already been 10 years but it also feels like we are just getting started.
To kick things off:
One Year Warranty: Now Standard
We are extending our warranty that covers manufacturer’s defects to a full year on all Freewrite devices. This means you can enjoy your Freewrite with even greater peace of mind, knowing that we've got you covered for an entire year. 

For more information, please visit our dedicated article on our new warranty policy here: Introducing Freewrite's New 1-Year Warranty: Our Commitment to You
Thank You
As we reflect on 10 years, we're filled with gratitude for the amazing writers who have made Freewrite an essential part of their process. Your passion has shaped our products and fueled our mission.  
Here's to the next decade of your writing success!
 
- The Freewrite Team
October 01, 2024 2 min read

As of October 1, 2024, we are extending our standard warranty that covers manufacturer’s defects to a full year on all Freewrite devices. This means you can enjoy your Freewrite with even greater peace of mind, knowing that we've got you covered for a full 12 months from the date of shipment. We’re even retroactively applying the warranty extension to purchases made this year.

Here is how our new 1-year warranty will work:
  • Beginning October 1, 2024, all new purchases now have a 12-month warranty standard from the shipment date.
  • All device purchases made in 2024 will now have 12-month warranty coverage from the shipment date.
    • For example, if your device shipped on March 1, 2024, your warranty would have expired on May 30, 2024, but will now expire on March 1, 2025.
  • If you purchased an Extended Warranty in addition to your device in 2024, you will receive both the new 12-month standard warranty coverage from the date of shipment, as well as the additional coverage period from your paid extended warranty.
    • For example, if your device shipped on March 1, 2024, with a 2-year Extended Warranty:
      • Your standard warranty now expires on March 1, 2025, instead of May 30, 2024.
      • Your 2-year Extended Warranty coverage will begin on March 1, 2025, and continue until March 1, 2027.



Your trust in our products is paramount to us, and this warranty extension reflects our dedication to your satisfaction and our confidence in the quality and reliability of our devices.

Thank you for choosing Freewrite; we look forward to serving you for many years to come. Write on!

 

- The Freewrite Team



Important Notes:

  • For devices purchased in 2023 or earlier, the original 90-day warranty applies, in addition to any paid Extended Warranty coverage.
  • If you purchased your device in 2023 or earlier, without an Extended Warranty, unfortunately, your warranty has now expired.
  • We are unable to offer refunds for prior out-of-warranty repairs.

 

Useful Links:

Official Freewrite Warranty Policy

Warranty Support Doc