The iPad Mini is a Problem

This is probably a me problem more than the iPad Mini, but let me explain.

When I first got the iPad Mini 6, it became my everything device. Not only is it spectacular as a phone replacement device for when I am at home. But it has been the best device to use whenever I am doing anything around the house.

One of the main goals of the iPad Mini was to become my main reading device. Mostly, I planned to read books on it, but it soon became the device I did all my reading: RSS, News+, Ground News, and Newsletters. I read everything on the iPad Mini, and my iPhone just became a conduit to save articles and things I wanted to read later.

Since I got a new e-reader device, something I still haven’t written about yet but it is coming soon, the iPad Mini started to become a Mini iPad Pro / entertainment device. Not that the iPad Mini wasn’t already an entertainment device, but because I was mostly using it for reading and no longer used the device as my sole reading device, entertainment became a most used activity.

This is not bad necessarily; iPads are great entertainment devices, but I am cautious about calling the iPad that sometimes because then the bandwagon of haters will jump in saying that is the only thing iPads are good for. On the contrary, the iPad Mini is a great entertainment device, but it is also used for so many other things in my life too.

I don’t write much on the iPad Mini, but I use it a lot to Remote Desktop into my Windows PC and to take care of normal household tasks like bills and getting things done for myself, my wife, and kids. Like I said before, it is like my mini iPad Pro since I do the same things on it that I would normally do on my iPad Pro.

With that being said, I have found the iPad Mini to be a problem for me. Again, this is a problem for me and probably something that many will not agree with, but I think it is interesting to share. The reason I find the iPad Mini as a problem is because, though an oxymoron, it is too good at something’s.

For example, when I get home, I like to put my phone away like in the kitchen or on my nightstand and try to only use it before I go to bed or before I read. The iPad Mini has now become what my phone was before: a distraction device that I get caught up in and use all the time.

Me saying this is sort of a praise on how great the iPad Mini is, but at the same time, an issue for my needs. I struggle with disconnecting sometimes, so I am always trying to reevaluate my devices and usage to make sure I am balancing myself when it comes to doomscrolling versus actually getting something of value when I am on a gadget.

I started the year off strong, reading a ton and not being on my phone so much. Since I got a new e-ink device to read on and the honeymoon phase passed of me using that device a ton, I have noticed that I have started to trickle towards the iPad Mini more to use when instead I would prefer to be reading or doing something with my family or home.

There are many posts on Techuisite where I talk about my struggle with having the right devices that give me the balance I need for mental health and productivity. Even though I replaced the main use for the iPad Mini by getting a new e-reader, I have kept it around, and to my detriment, I think it has become a net negative for my life rather than a net positive.

The one thing that I think I will miss the most with the iPad Mini is it’s cellular data. It nice to have a second device, besides my phone, that has a data connection at all times to hotspot to or jump online when I need to do something not on my phone. This is a minor inconvenience though and not something that is a deal breaker for what I am trying to accomplish.

So, what do I do?

Do I sell the iPad Mini? Give it to a family member? Or put it in a timed lock box for a few weeks and let myself count the days down until I can use it again?

I have considered all of these options, but instead, I think I am just going to power it down and put it on my desk in my office. I have an exercise bike in my office that I can maybe use the iPad Mini for when I get off my ass and use it. But besides that, I think I am going to try and forget about it for a little bit.

What my goals are is to pull my iPad Pro out more when I want to get something done. It feels more focused and is a better device overall for the things that I need to get done. I also need to start creating better habits around reading and listening to audiobooks.

Whenever I have to iron my clothes for work or wash the dishes, I tend to use the iPad Mini as a streaming device to watch YouTube or a show that I would normally be better off listening to an audiobook. Again, these aren’t objectively bad things that I was using the iPad Mini for, just not the things I would prefer to be doing to keep my mind in a more healthier state.

To not delve too much into the specifics, the world feels very chaotic right now, and I don’t think I am alone in wanting to go back and forth from obsessing over the news to escaping it completely by watching other random drama or other YouTube videos online. Sometimes listening to a non-fiction book feels daunting when you get the sense the world around you is crashing.

But I truly think sometimes the best way to get through stressful times is to be more informed and knowledgeable. Not only that, but I think it is important that you continue to do the things you can control, like taking care of yourself and others. I am in no way going to stop paying attention to what is happening around me, but I want to control how I am informed instead of it controlling me.

So the iPad Mini is a problem for me. And I need to step away from it a little while so I can reestablish a healthier relationship with it. I don’t want to get rid of it right away because I do think it is a fantastic device. A break, I think, is good sometimes when you feel like something is getting in the way of your needs, so sorry iPad Mini, maybe I will see you soon when I get up to work out one of these mornings, other than that I’ll see you later.