Tech-Wise Family and Unruh Furniture, Part Two: Creating Appropriate Technological Boundaries for TV Stand and Desk
As noted in our prior blog post, we are writing about Unruh Furniture this week through the lens of Andy Crouch’s Tech-Wise Family: Everyday Steps for Putting Technology in Its Proper Place. We encourage you to read the post for yourself! Included are some specific ways to make space in your home to counter our technologically-saturated world. If you have a family with teenagers or grandchildren, this book is a great resource when technology seems too big to tackle on your own. Crouch makes the observation that a “hearth” used to be the center of one’s home – where families and friends would gather to create, laugh and dream. Or where you work in a personal workspace at a desk with hot coffee in hand.
Unruh’s mission is to create furniture that does the same: provide a space where your family can make memories to cherish forever. Unfortunately, the furniture industry has made it easy to buy items in bulk that serve as “filler” in the home. We want to stay away from ordinary, and build works of art your family will have for a lifetime. So how can your family stay away from ordinary? How can you move away from TV streaming (although great in its proper usage) and lean in on real community? Crouch provides more insight as it relates to your day-to-day work and life rhythms
Nudge in the Right Direction
“We are continually being nudged by our devices toward a set of choices. The question is whether those choices are leading us to the life we actually want. I want a life of conversation and friendship, not distraction and entertainment; but every day, many times a day, I’m nudged in the wrong direction. One key part of the art of living faithfully with technology is setting up better nudges for ourselves.” -Andy Crouch
The “nudges” Crouch talks about speak to small changes in our daily lives that minimize technology’s grip and enhances interpersonal communication with others. These nudges also create healthy space for our self when we need alone time or space to focus on the task at hand. Each nudge will be different from person-to-person, but YOU need to be the one who takes charge and implements for the good of your family. (And personal sanity!). An example of a nudge: buy a cheap alarm clock for your bedside and sleep with your phone in another room. This way, you aren’t tempted to check your phone first thing in the morning. (More on bedrooms in the next post).
But nudges work just as well from your home office or living room – where your family likely spends most of its time. As we look at a couple options for Unruh desk and TV stand, consider how you might utilize each piece of furniture for non-tech ways to build relationships with those you love. We’ll get you started with a few ideas, and then trust your creativity will carry you home.
Nudge with a Newport
Good things truly do come in small packages. The Newport Desk is a testament to that reality, but you can certainly customize according to your desired size. Compared to our other desks, the original Newport is a little smaller. But you will get a large amount of work done at this desk – guaranteed. The first “nudge” we recommend when it comes to focusing on work itself is a desk to call your own. If you don’t have a true space to do your best work, you’ll find a couch or a coffee shop. But both of those places present distractions in themselves: comfort and noise, respectively. Consider how your own workspace would change the game, and when you do – move the Newport to the top of your list.
Pare Down with Pacifica
Have we classified our Pacifica Sideboard as a TV stand before? Yes. Is that its only purpose? Far from it. With three drawers + three doors below, this piece means ample space for all sorts of non-TV activities, books and relics. We’ve written about some board games to get your family started, but Crouch makes another interesting case for instruments and singing together as family. Think your family wouldn’t like singing together? Give it a try! Consider a record player for your Pacifica and start a new hobby collecting old 45’s. After all, stepping out of your comfort zone is where the magic happens – even if it means setting technology to the side for a few minutes. Or maybe even hours.
