Is he reenacting Mom’s old “no TV during the week” rule from grade school?
That wasn’t his intention, but it was the outcome.
Maybe it’s just a vacation?
Nope, I relaxed, but had goals I was working towards.
the message i got from chris on airbnb after asking what the wifi speed was.
No, I got it; it’s one of those nature R&R getaways the young granolas are doing.
Nah, he’s most definitely clocking in at the day job, regardless of what Chris says.
So what is bro doing in Poynette?
I was in Poynette, WI, to get off autopilot, go analog, and practice studying abroad.
What has bro been on?
Bro has had analog on the mind all year.
From the jump, he experienced a significant event that changed his relationship to and use of technology. He was gifted a pocket notebook to replace scroll time with writing time. And he’s been tapped in with analog influences, namely Dune (a science fiction series where computers have been outlawed) and Samurai Jack (a cartoon where Bro. Jack relies on traditional skills in a technologically advanced world). It’s clear he’s been leaning towards the analog.
On the other hand, bro has been planning to “study abroad” later in the year. He plans to live and work for a few months away from home; this was a great chance to get a week of practice.
Finally, bro is always ready to be courageous: he regularly tries new things and leaves his comfort zone.
What is getting off Autopilot & Going Analog Enough?
Autopilot
Living life on autopilot is living on default. It's running through habits or routines without actively making decisions or being fully present.
I wanted to change my environment to break routine and consciously choose how to spend my time, like Bill talks about in Die with Zero.
Analog Enough
In Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning, Luther tells Tom Cruise: “I have to work completely offline in a place where the Entity can’t find me.” (they’re up against this artificial intelligence adversary that controls anything digital).
Analog is anything the “entity” can’t get its hands on: any non-digital object or activity. But life isn’t Mission Impossible. You can still get the benefits (increased mindfulness, gratitude, intentionality, etc.) without cutting out everything connected to the internet. You can go analog enough.
I used my work computer for work, and my personal devices for communication, writing, and navigation. I ended up abstaining from TV and continued to avoid social media.
In this economy, getting off autopilot and going analog go together real bad. You get off autopilot, and you could easily find yourself spending less time on the interwebs and more time outdoors or doing things that don’t require you to plug something into the wall.
What did bro think was gonna happen in Poynette?
Before heading north, I wrote down what I wanted to produce during the trip: 1 book, 1 vlog, 1 piece, 1 image, and 1 beat. To make it happen, my daily intentions were to touch grass, make music, read, work (my day job), and write.
I thought it’d be a good test of how I would do living and working on my own, beyond the retreat component.
And if I combined the solo, retreat, and cabin, I figured I'd get time well spent.
I wasn’t disappointed.
What’d bro do?
Day 1 (3/29)
Drive up from Chicago
See a pack of deer on the left side of the road and remember one of them jokers could put an end to my trip.
Think about how much my mouth is going to be closed during the week. Make note to talk out loud to myself.
Day 2 (4/1)
Work
Hit Piggly Wiggly for groceries. Cashier says they like my hair. Locals darn near run their shopping carts into the shelves looking at me.
Stop by the MacKenzie Center and real-live see Buffalo. Who knew they had those up here? I make some images and walk through the grounds in the rain.
Notice I’m reaching for my phone for no reason. Realize it’s actually because I’m feeling lonely and want connection.
Unresolved relationship issues come up to my consciousness unannounced. I take them to my notebook for some reflection.
Feel a way: “It’s not quite malaise, but I feel an unease, a discomfort. Like I can’t quite release a deep breath all the way”.
Take a morning walk and pair it with an audiobook: my first fiction joint in months.
Do some of my best day job work, courtesy of fewer distractions and more house music. I question why I’m not listening to Soulful House every day.
Witness the rain turn to snow. Make a hot beverage and enjoy it outside in the snow.
Eat leftover ham and corned beef from Easter dinner that almost makes me cry after barebone rations for the last few days.
Write at least 750 words on the computer.
Reflect on my tendency to avoid. Make a list of people I need to get back to.
Day 4 (4/3)
Run the morning walk back. Take a new route.
Work my real job some more.
Hear Tecalli x The Counts on my daily mix and pull out the MPC to lay down a groove.
FaceTime with Dave.
Put another round of edits on a photoset and a website.
Feel closer to being able to take a full, deep breath.
Day 5 (4/4)
It’s cloudy. See a ray of sunshine come down out the corner of my right eye. How can this great and pleasant morning get any better? But then I seen a patch of blue sky split out from the sea of clouds over the Wisconsin river. I’m as excited as if I saw someone get crossed over, heard a witty bar in a hip-hop track, or tasted leftover ham & corned beef after eating skimpily for a couple of days.
Reflect on a core issue from a past relationship and develop a healthy, productive path forward.
Hike Spirit Lake. Well, hike the first 3 miles, then run the rest so I can make it back to the car before I get stranded in the dark. Feel like I’m Paul off the spice: alive, aware.
Day 6 (4/4)
I see more than a sliver of the sun and the sky for the first time all week. It’s poetic.
Stop in Madison
Drive back to Chicago
How did I do?
1 book: Finished one in-progress joint and started another.
I need weekly connection with at least one of my people.
Plan cabin cuisine a lil better: I don’t need to sacrifice nutrition for simplicity.
Pack more clothes: I went a lil too barebones and could’ve used another set of activewear.
I need a go-to communication medium: I can’t swear off the phone and digital platforms and not expect my connections to suffer.
Absence makes the heart grow fonder: for food, sunshine, and more.
New environment helps you get back to the drawing board with your routine: when you start from zero in a new place, it’s easier to choose to add healthy habits like caring for your body and leave out unhealthy ones like checking your phone incessantly.
Analog environment lets you get back to the drawing board with your thoughts: less noise (ads, short-form videos you ain’t ask to see, etc.) to drown out what’s on your mind. Then, you can figure out what you want and think, not what someone else wants or thinks.
You can only do some things on your own: it’s easier to make the wrong turn on the hike or in a new place when you only answer to yourself and have yourself to blame.
If you’re going to do a digital activity, do it mindfully: No more sitting down to ‘find something’ to watch. That can get a lil autopilot. I didn’t watch anything on the trip, but if I did, I’d make it an event, how it was meant to be involved. I'd get myself a snack, snuggle up, turn the lights down, watch, and take notes. After, I'd send the person who recommended the program a note, write a review, read some reviews, and engage with some reviews.
Unless you just came back from getting off autopilot, you’ll benefit from breaking routine in some way. Do that.
You don’t need to spend big bread on a cabin or go to Poynette to learn or experience these things. Travel is too expensive to help you do something that can be done at home.
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