The Monk vs. the Printing Press
Today, I’m sharing how a fifteenth-century abbot helped me understand why digital habit change is so hard.
If you've missed any articles in this series and would like to catch up, I'm including a running list at the bottom of this one.
In the summer of 2017 I finally admitted that my relationship with my tech was unhealthy; impacting my ability to focus, my physical health, my mental wellbeing, and my connection with the important people in my life.
I was ready to take serious action.
My first step was to book a digital detox holiday. That October, my partner and I spent a tech-free week in the countryside. After struggling, somewhat ironically, to find the venue without using our digital maps, we settled in, ready to go cold turkey.
The first day was great. We went for walks, ate healthy food and enjoyed the outdoors. I kept reaching for my mobile companion and felt satisfied every time, as the action reinforced my need for the trip.
Things got tough on day two.
I woke up itching to scroll on my phone. At lunch I started to pine for internet access, news updates, and answers to silly questions like actors names. In the evening I started to think about sneaking down to check my phone in the middle of the night.
Thankfully, I resisted and on day three I started to relax. We walked, we talked, and we reconnected with each other. It was bliss.
Unfortunately, staying on a permanent digital detox was not a practical longterm solution.
If you have an unhealthy relationship with alcohol, or cigarettes it is a reasonable ambition to completely remove the habit from your life.
My relationship with technology was more complex. I relied on my phone to help me with numerous daily tasks and I loved my work as a developer.
I decided to see if I could use technology as part of the solution.
I installed an app that tracked my phone use (before screen-time stats were built into phones natively) and another that locked my device for parts of the day. I started to build an elaborate productivity system and create a complex calendar management system to enable tech-free blocks in my day.
Whilst these worked for a time, in the end I ignored the usage reports and calendar events, and removed the restricting apps. Ultimately, I found I was spending more time creating my productivity tools than using them.
Before long, I slipped back into my old habits.
I was frustrated and disappointed. (new line!!)
Around this time I read an article about a fifteenth-century abbot called Johannes Trithemius and a German goldsmith called Johaness Gutenberg.
In 1436 Gutenberg designed a machine capable of producing pages of text at an incredible speed. In 1455 he put his “printing press” to commercial use, producing the Gutenberg Bible. This was one of the earliest books in the world to be printed from movable type.
At this time, Bibles were all hand-crafted by monks. When abbott Trithemius first heard about the printing press, he immediately recognised the power it could bring to share the Word of God.
He supported the change, but **he regretted that the new technology would?replace the work of the monks.
“Much like a painter must begin his training by copying the masters, it is only by the act of copying the Scriptures can a scribe become truly in touch with the Word of God”.
Trithemius was not against printed books (indeed, his most famous publications were set in print) and yet he passionately defended the old and less convenient option of hand-scribing the Bible, as he foresaw a deeper loss through abandoning it.
Like abbott Trithemius, I recognised the power of technology and yet it was clear that embracing it in all situations came with a loss.
I needed to learn how to take control and use tech on my own terms. What I didn’t realise, was how developing a practice of digital awareness would become fuel for my inner digital transformation.
Want to build a better relationship with your devices?
I'm hosting a handful of free workshops to get you started.
领英推荐
Habits for Digital Wellness (live session)
Join me today at 4pm GMT to celebrate Digital Wellness Day, and make some time to develop habits for your own wellbeing.
In this one-hour interactive session, you'll choose an experiment from our Digital Habit Lab, and learn how to apply it to your life straight away.
Digital Habit Foundations (live session)
Join me on Wednesday May 10th at 4pm GMT for a live one-hour session introduction into the science and neuroscience of tech and digital wellness, and how to reduce distraction by taking control of notifications on your own terms.
Getting M.O.R.E. from your tech (live session)
Join me on Thursday May 18th at 4pm GMT where I share a one-hour distillation of the methodology we teach at the Mind over Tech.
I hope you’ll join me, I look forward to seeing you there.
P.S. If you've missed any previous emails in this series, you can catch up here:
Jonathan Garner Founder of Mind over Tech
A seasoned web developer and user experience designer, Jonathan has spent the last 10 years designing and delivering programmes that demystify disruptive technologies, like Machine Learning and AI, to C-suite leaders around the world.
In 2015, while on a meditation retreat, Jonathan suddenly found himself doomscrolling in a locked toilet cubicle. He founded Mind over Tech with the mission to help himself, and others, find a better relationship with their tech while embracing the gifts of the digital world.
He firmly believes that exploring our digital habits can turn the mundane reality of emailing and zooming into fuel for personal transformation.