I came across this article, and thought I would weigh in… because that is what bloggers do. Wow, a blogger… excuse me while I change into some sweatpants.

I actually agree with the idea that using a watch to reduce the ‘number of phone pickups a day’ is excellent for productivity – I disagree that the watch should be an $11.99 eyesore. Don’t get me wrong… the watch need not be expensive, and given Josh doesn’t like watches, this seems like the most practical solution for him…

If you do love watches… My opinion would be to take Josh’s approach, but get a watch which will make you smile, which will excite you when you look at it; whether its a resplendent dial, or a rotating tourbillon… which may even distract your attention sometimes…  that’s ok! This short distraction may be exactly what you need to take a short break; and apparently that is no bad thing when it comes to productivity, according to Psychology Today.

What are your thoughts on this topic?

-F

I got a new watch.

Here’s a picture.

It’s 6 o’clock somewhere.

As you can see, this isn’t a “smart watch” or a Fitbit or an Apple product.

In fact, it’s not very smart, I don’t think. It’s got like 4 modes and I have to push a little button on the side like 36x just so I can change the time.

And it’s cheap — $11.99.

To be honest, I haven’t worn a watch since I was ten probably and had a calculator on it.

And I don’t really like wrist watches. They bother my wrist.

So why did I buy it?

I was tired of checking my phone just to know the time.

Because I knew when I did, I would automatically check something else.

Like Twitter.

Like the latest NBA updates.

Like a good text message or Instagram message. Or my Medium stats.

This was a huge time suck.

I was becoming that person that was completely addicted to checking my phone.

With my watch, I can be more aware of the time that will help me even when I’m using my computer. It’s easier to set alarms and timers because it’s always with me.

I can be more productive with my work and writing if I’m keeping a sharp eye on how much time I’m working (or wasting).

It’s probably not the perfect system. But for $11.99, it was definitely worth a shot.

And worth the money to stop using my cellphone so much to do (mostly) meaningless stuff.

It’s a boring watch. But worth the price.

This post was written by Josh Spilker, and originally posted on Medium here. You can also check out his book here.