I’ve been listening to a book by Jon Staff, “Getting Away’-75 Everyday Practices for Finding Balance in Our Always On World.” I’m pleased that many of his recommendations have already been implemented in my life, but there’s one thing in particular I’ve been pondering. Going analog. I use my phone to make phone calls for work which makes it inconvenient to stream music via Bluetooth, so when I heard Practice No. 45: Listen to an AM/FM radio, I was elated!

I enjoy listening to the radio while driving my truck and could see having one in the house, but wasn’t sure which one to purchase with the vast selection today, so I borrowed one from my neighbor to try it out. Every time I step into Mr. M’s house he has music playing and it’s a different station each day, so I knew he’d have one I could borrow. I brought the radio home to try it out and thoroughly enjoyed it, so bought one of my own to return his.

After each practice in the book is introduced, the writer says, “Try it out”, so those three words come to mind after every creative idea.

I found this radio online, but purchased it from an actual store, so it came with a 2-month money back guarantee which offers plenty of time to try it out. As Jon mentions in his book, the thing about the radio is, you have no control over what song they’ll play, so you’re more likely to hear new music. I’ve supported a local radio station for years which is ad free. The hosts talk every now and then, but when they do it’s encouraging and they spotlight good news.

I sat it temporarily on my rusted gardening cart, but have until November to make up my mind if it’s a keeper. So far, it’s a yes, and I love hearing music float through the house. Plus, I can leave it playing when I exit the house and walk back in to music playing. I can also use my phone without any hesitation that music will start playing in my ear during the conversation. (That happens)

The radio isn’t something new, but using my phone for music made it easy to engage in other areas of my phone which increased it’s daily usage. I have a digital well-being app that reveals where I’ve spent time on my phone and it began accumulating hours of my day. With age we become intentional in how we spend our time because every decade that passes, time becomes more precious.

These three words keep me open to continually trying something new, so when I have an inspiring thought, instead of dismissing it, I pause and hear… try it out.