Everything is a tool – even your phone

AFEW YEARS AGO, I WAS TALKING TO computer scientist/professor/author/ enviably prolific human Cal Newport. He had just written a book, Digital Minimalism, on how to be more deliberate with technology, and how to spend the time you win back on more satisfying pursuits. The idea is to follow some small rules – no bingeing Netflix when alone, check social media from your laptop instead of your phone, that kind of thing – to make your devices contribute to your life more usefully. Because, at least for me, new tech is capable of so much that I sometimes forget whatever task it’s supposed to be helping me achieve. My iPhone, for example, helps me find new music, laugh with friends, or drive somewhere faster. I’m not getting my money’s worth from it when I’m scrolling the news at 3:30 am through one bloodshot eye.

Maybe that’s the reason I love objects that have a specific, unambiguous function. I think most of us in the Pop Mech community do. The few possessions that I would be really bummed about breaking or losing fall into that category. Because, unlike a smartphone, they only facilitate the most rewarding habits I have. The fountain pen I inherited from my dad organises my thoughts. My bicycle gets me outside and moving. My winter wetsuit lets me surf in icy water. And my modest collection of hand- and power tools helps me make stuff. My phone helps with those things, too. But only if I don’t let it distract me with everything else it can do.

If, now after the holidays, you find yourself in possession of a new tool and need a purpose for it, be sure to check out all of the great woodworking articles we’ve published in the last few years. And the current series on the different types of woodworking joints is sure to inspire, too.