The electricity is out due to a scheduled outage at the moment. That means at this moment I can’t use the internet. That also means that at this moment I can’t charge any of my devices. This is all fine by me. Seriously, it is. I long for the day I do the almost cliché rite of passage for all writers and go completely off the grid for a prolonged period of time to write my magnum opus. That day isn’t today. Today, all I have to do creatively is write this silly little blog of mine for your entertainment. Welcome to Monday.

There has been a sort of ironic occurrence this morning as the electricity has left us temporarily. I hate to brag, but I have YouTube Premium. I don’t mind paying for something I literally use every day. This is not a sponsor but one of the benefits of YouTube Premium is the ability to download videos to watch offline. It just so happens that one of the videos I downloaded discusses our usage of technology.

The video is a discussion between Tiago Forte and The Minimalists. I am currently reading Tiago’s book, Building a Second Brain. It’s about how to build a digital notes system of information that you use, essentially, as your second brain. Get it? I have almost finished the book and am looking forward to building my second brain at some point soon.

The Minimalists are three men: Joshua Fields-Milburn, Ryan Nicodemus, and TK Coleman. They are podcasters, and authors and have two documentary films (one of them is available on Netflix, the other on YouTube for free). While sometimes they can be a bit preachy and cringy, I find them very likeable. There was a nice mix of opinions and discussion topics. You can find the video here. Combined with the fact that the electricity is out and this conversation, it has gotten me thinking about my own relationship with technology, social media etc. I rarely scroll social media anymore and only use my phone for things I enjoy such as listening to music/podcasts and watching YouTube. I have YouTube Premium too (did I mention that?).

Right now, I am sitting in a dark bedroom on a laptop without an internet connection and listening to downloaded sounds from Brain FM. The only thing that is somewhat bugging me is the smoke alarm beeping because it is freaking out about how it isn’t connected to anything. I don’t mind though. That’s just one little thing that will not last forever. And that, ladies, and gentlemen, is the kind of attitude I hope continues throughout this festive season. I have always known that I am the kind of person who does their best work when unplugged from the rest of the world. This whole living off-the-grid lifestyle I have been forced to impose on myself today is treating me well.

I hope this Monday has treated you well. I hope you are taking some time for yourself to unplug. I believe I actually have some short creative pieces to share on Friday, so it’s business as usual. Have a great week. Look after yourself and others. Thank you for reading and thank you for your time.