What comedian and podcast host Ryan Shelton learned after ditching his smartphone
Jan 31, 2024
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Comedian and podcast host Ryan Shelton shares his experience of ditching his smartphone and using a flip phone. He discusses the benefits of disconnecting from screens and social media, as well as the tools he uses to capture and organize his thoughts. He also reflects on overcoming envy and finding true happiness.
Disconnecting from smartphones can lead to appreciation of stillness and human connection.
Finding meaning and spreading joy through creativity brings true happiness and fulfillment.
Deep dives
Disconnecting from Smartphone Dependency
The podcast episode explores the journey of comedian Ryan Shelton and his decision to disconnect from his smartphone. Feeling that his phone was using him rather than the other way around, Shelton wanted to experience life without the constant distractions of social media and the internet. He switched to a flip phone, which had limited features like maps and messaging but no access to social media or the internet. Shelton found that without the constant entertainment provided by his smartphone, he started appreciating stillness and the joy of human connection more. He realized that his new form of entertainment became engaging with people through calls, messages, and face-to-face interactions. This experiment brought him clarity of thought and numerous creative ideas. However, he eventually found the messaging limitations of the flip phone too frustrating and transitioned back to an iPhone with strict app restrictions to maintain the benefits of decreased smartphone use.
Purpose and Personal Growth
During his smartphone disconnect experiment, Shelton also delved into introspection about his purpose and personal growth. He discovered that his happiness and fulfillment didn't solely depend on achieving external milestones like fame or fortune. Instead, he found joy in spreading joy through his creative endeavors and making people laugh. This newfound understanding motivated him to redefine his purpose statement: to spread joy through creativity and inspire others to do the same. Shelton realized that true happiness came from finding meaning and fulfillment in bringing joy to others, rather than waiting for external validation or success.
Vulnerability and Envy
Shelton reflects on a vulnerable conversation he had with his close friend and colleague, Hamish Blake. He openly shares his struggle with envy and feeling inadequate in the face of Blake's success. Shelton discusses how, for years, he found it challenging to be genuinely happy for Blake's achievements. This conversation allowed them to deepen their understanding of each other and brought them closer. Shelton's realization about his own shame and insecurity, as well as his journey towards identifying his purpose, helped him overcome his envy and find control over his own happiness.
Productivity and Organization
Shelton shares his experiences with productivity apps and how he organizes his thoughts and ideas. He uses the task app Todoist to quickly capture and organize thoughts, ideas, and advice he receives. He also utilizes the note-taking apps Obsidian and Notion for storing ideas, quotes, and notes about people. Additionally, Shelton discusses the PARAH filing system, which stands for Projects, Areas, Resources, and Archive. This system allows him to maintain a clear and organized structure for his ongoing projects, long-term areas of focus, resources for future use, and archiving completed projects.
Smartphones are so ubiquitous today that living without one sounds like something only monks and mountain hermits would be able to do. While many of us crave an extended break from our addictive little pocket-computers, it’s hard to imagine actually making it work. So how did Ryan Shelton pull it off?
The comedian, actor and co-host of The Imperfects podcast felt like his phone was beginning to control him, instead of the other way around. He’d tried to reduce his screen time in the past, but couldn’t make it stick. So he went nuclear and traded in his beloved iPhone for an old-school flip-phone.
As a born entertainer and the host of a podcast all about vulnerability, Ryan’s been more and more focused on human connection in recent years, and his flip-phone experiment was just one part of that.
Ryan shares what did and didn’t work when he switched to the ‘dumb phone’, and breaks down what he’s learned about himself and his mind since starting The Imperfects. He also shares his favourite productivity tools and explains his preferred method for capturing and filing his ideas.
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