My Number One Time Saver And the Value of a Pseudonym.

I picked up a book about how to curb my smartphone use. It's easy to pick up a phone and fall into an app. The design of apps makes them accessible, convenient, and entertaining. They are less work than an addiction. Also, socially acceptable. Except for the older baby boomers who text with their index fingers. They don't do social media. My favorite tactic is to put the phone into a large jar with the lid on. That little bit of a speed bump to get at the phone allows me to work at something without the easy interruption of picking up the phone. The second tactic is to delete apps from my phone during the week or for a few days. The account lives on, but you must reinstall it, which is another more complex speed bump, more like a stoplight at a six-way stop. The last tool to free up time from my phone is a once-a-week update my Galaxy phone produces. I don't have to guess how much time I spend on my apps. This report is brutally honest. It shows how much time I spend on each app and when. For example, I spent six hours on Instagram last week. I could have used that time to do something else, like writing the first draft of my blog. While painful, the report guides me in choosing what app goes on a week's vacation so I can get other things done. The next time I install the app, it will return to where I left off. You don't leave your car running when not in use. Apps can be used the same way. Leave them parked and locked until the weekend.

What am I reading this week?

Metamorphoses | Ovid aka Publius Ovidius Naso Roman Poet

I have been taking my days easier. With the lack of new content due to last year's strikes, I have rewatched the Mini Series Rome from 2007. That led me to follow up with my interest in Greek and Roman books. I picked up Ovid, who wrote in the first century BCE. That is about the same period covered in the Mini series Rome. I found it a bit ponderous—good content for listening to while walking the dog.

My big takeaway is that when in trouble, don't ask the gods for help because there are fates worse than death.

My second takeaway is to use pseudonyms if your writing style is unpopular with the powers that be. Ovid was banished to the Empire's far reaches partly because his works were considered racy when Rome had a conservative turn of values.