Wait. I used the flashlight on my phone. I said I would only use what I had on my home screen, and that is what I intend to use on my phone. So, I am going to stop using the flashlight for the remainder of the week and use the brightness of the screen to get me around.

I thought I would share what I have access to today, and take one final screenshot of what my phone currently looks like.

  • My tools of the trade today, minus the Field Notes notebook in my backpacker that I forgot to add.
  • I have also turned off the notifications, which have screwed up the notifications for my messages. I need to look into that.

If you click on the image to the left, you will see that I have:

  1. My copy of Dick Cantwell’s “Eclectic IPA: Pushing the Boundaries of India Pale Ale.”
  2. My Kindle HDX (3rd Gen.) that I will only use to read an ebook if I am not reading the other two pictured.
  3. Philip K. Dick’s “The Man In The High Castle,” which is getting good!
  4. A Word Search book that I bought from the store so I would not use any unnecessary apps on any devices.
  5. My Fisher Shuttle pen.
  6. My 13″ MacBook Air.
  7. A lap desk, should I need it for the computer.
  8. A pair of noise isolating headphones that make me look like Lobot from Star Wars, but they do help me to focus and meditate better.

The picture on the right is the final look of what my phone has looked like since Monday afternoon. Very limited, and because of how I have the settings, I am not getting my usual notifications from Messages, so I will need to look into fixing that immediately. I had a prescription ready last night that I could have picked up, and did not see the message until I opened the app today.

Now, I just need to remember not to use the flashlight on the phone.

I will most likely read “The Man In The High Castle,” but I have the “Eclectic IPA” book in case I want to research any beer ideas for Nanobrewfest that they have at the Kansas City Berkley Riverfront in downtown Kansas City, MO. My friends, my wife and I brought some beers last year, and not only did we get great feedback, but we had such a good time that we would like to go back this year. The word search book was to expand my mind when I need a break, and I explained the rest.

The nice thing is that I do not hear my phone buzz every five minutes that I have an email. That has been pleasant. Also, I have more attention to read and work on things, which was my hope when this all started. I think that what I may do as a follow up to this week is slowly integrate apps that I need on a daily basis, and see what I can and can’t live without. I know there are a few apps that I have paid for that will make the cut, and there are the Fitbit apps that I will need back because of the watch, but I am curious what I can do without. I think slowly integrating the programs is a smart idea, and should hopefully garner better results than what I originally had planned for after this week.

I have had access to the web browser, but only to authorize the purchase of a free eBook from Amazon, and then I immediately shut it down. I think I will use the computer to check email today and the rest of the week than my phone. I may move the email app to another screen, so I don’t attempt to use it.

Well, that’s my update and plans for the remainder of the day. So far, the minimalism is working for me, but at times has been frustrating, mainly notifications and the watch. Other than that, it is like going off the grid in a digital world.