Time is Wealth. Build it Intentionally.
Good morning {{first_name|Reader}}.
I'm approaching 40. The math is getting uncomfortable. More time behind me than ahead of me. That realization doesn't hit you all at once. It creeps in slowly, then suddenly it's all you can think about.
I work an office job. Screens everywhere. Computer. Phone. Emails stacking up faster than I can answer them. Some days I feel less like a professional and more like a highly paid email responder. The technology that was supposed to make life easier just made it faster. And louder. And more demanding. And maybe even more demeaning.
A few years ago, I started wearing an analog watch. Not a smartwatch. Not a fitness tracker. Just a watch that tells time.
People ask why. "Your phone does that," they say. "And it does so much more."
That's exactly the problem.
(Inspired by: Fratello Watches - Why Do You Wear an Analog Watch?)
The Phone Knows Too Much
My phone tracks everything. Steps. Heart rate. Sleep quality. Calories. Screen time. How many times I picked it up today. How long I spent scrolling. (But I turned all this off)
The health apps promised clarity. They delivered anxiety instead. Most of it isn't as accurate as we think. But it feels precise. Three decimal points on a metric you didn't know existed yesterday, and suddenly you're worried about it. More stress in your life.
I don't need more things to optimize. I don't need more data points telling me I'm not doing enough. I need less noise.
What a Watch Does That a Phone Doesn't
When I check my watch, I see the time and date. That's it. No notifications. No red badges. No "while you're here, check this."
When I check my phone, I see the time. Then I see three texts. Then I remember I need to reply to that email. Then I notice the news headline. Then I'm five minutes deep in something I didn't intend to look at.
The watch keeps me present. The phone pulls me away.
I wear an Explorer II most days. Sometimes an Omega Aqua Terra. Both are tools. Both do one job well. Getting the Explorer II was a milestone. A reward for work that mattered. It reminds me of that even on bad days.
The craftsmanship matters too. Someone spent time building this. It'll outlast me if I take care of it. The phone? Landfill in three years.
The Smartwatch Exception
I own one smartwatch. I wear it exactly once: when I'm running outside and need pace data. That's it. It's a tool for a specific job.
The rest of the time, it sits in a drawer. Because I don't need another device buzzing on my wrist, trying to get my attention, reminding me I haven't stood up in an hour.
I already know I sit too much. I don't need a $400 device to guilt me about it.
Intentional Living in a Distracted World
Intentional living means making deliberate decisions about how you spend your time, your money, and your life. It means choosing what gets your attention instead of letting everything demand it.
The masses are distracted. Cheap thrills. Dopamine hits. Endless scroll. The phone is designed to keep you there. The algorithms are better at grabbing your focus than you are at protecting it.
I'm not better than anyone else. I fail at this constantly. But the watch helps. It's a small decision that compounds.
When someone asks me the time in a meeting, I glance at my wrist. I don't pull out my phone. I don't see notifications. I don't get pulled into something else. I stay present.
When my kids want to show me something, I check my watch to see if we have time. I don't check my phone and accidentally scroll past three things that don't matter while they're standing there waiting for my attention.
Why Not Just Use Your Phone?
Because I don't need more distractions in my life. I need fewer. And the same probably goes for you, too.
Because the things that matter—my family, my health, my time—don't need to be gamified or tracked or optimized. (unrelated but speaking of gamified, I am ending my DuoLingo streak when my subscription expires)
Because choosing to wear an analog watch in a digital world is a deliberate act. It's a small rebellion against the idea that more data equals better living.
The watch on my wrist is a tool. It tells me the time. It reminds me to slow down. It reminds me that time is the only thing I can't get back.
And it keeps me from checking my phone 50 times a day to see what time it is.
That's enough.
TL;DR
Approaching 40. Drowning in screens and emails at work. Health tracking apps cause more anxiety than clarity. Wear an Explorer II or Aqua Terra because they do one thing well: tell time without distractions. Only wear a smartwatch when running for pace data. The watch keeps me present. The phone pulls me away. Intentional living means choosing what gets your attention. Analog watch in a digital world is a small rebellion against constant distraction.
Know someone who needs to read this? 👇
