My old coworker still uses a flip phone at the office and it makes me miss 2005

Three years ago I shared a cubicle with a guy named Tom who refused to upgrade from a flip phone. He would close it with a snap every time a call ended and it drove our manager crazy. Last week I saw him in the break room still doing the same thing. Meanwhile I spend half my day answering emails on a device that tracks my location and suggests replies for me. There is something to be said for doing your job and then just walking away without the whole world following you home. Tom never posted about his hobbies online but he built a full workshop in his garage and restores old lawnmowers. I have three social media accounts for my side hustle and I cant remember the last time I fixed something just for fun. Does anyone else feel like the line between work and everything else just keeps getting blurrier?

3 comments

3 Comments

bennett.evan5d ago

That bit about Tom never posting his hobbies online really hit me. I read somewhere recently that people who keep parts of their life offline tend to have lower stress levels and it makes total sense now. Every time I pick up my phone it's a work email or a notification about a project I should be thinking about. Your coworker probably gets more done in his garage in a weekend than I do all week just because he can actually focus without a screen buzzing at him. I miss when work ended at 5 and your boss couldn't slide into your DMs at 9 PM.

angela5875d ago

Tom never posting his hobbies means he's got zero digital footprint for his boss or clients to stumble across. That's a boundary most people don't even realize they're not setting.

the_lisa5d ago

Three years ago I left a job where my boss would text me at 10 PM about spreadsheets... now I wonder if Tom ever had to buy a new phone because his battery lasted four days and mine barely makes it through lunch. Does he actually know how to sign out of work mentally, or did that skill just die out with the flip phone era? I think about those little moments like closing a call with a snap instead of tapping "end meeting" and sitting there waiting for the next notification.