I've been waiting 30 days to make this post. From the second I downloaded the app, I knew it was something I'd fall in love with.
I originally discovered the concept a few months ago from the TED Talk below, and it has been on my mind ever since. When I found out that creator Cesar Kuriyama had actually gone ahead with a Kickstarter and developed the app, I was excited to implement it into my life. One month ago, I downloaded 1 Second Every Day.
The premise is simple. Every day, you take a short video of something you did or saw that day. It could be the coolest moment, the most dramatic, the most representative of what you did that day, or whatever else; it's entirely up to you.
The app tags your videos by date, and allows you to effortlessly cut out a 1 second clip for that day. You can then select what dates you'd like to include and compile a mash-up of all your daily activities.
It's safe (and almost a little crazy) to say that even after only 30 days, this basic concept has already had a profound impact on my life. It's altered how I remember the past, live in the present, and plan for the future.
The Past
As we all frequently acknowledge, time flies. 2013 is nearing its end, and it's easy to ask ourselves: Where did this year go? What did I do all year?
We live such busy and hectic lifestyles that it's easy to lose track of the time. We simply run through the motions, rarely taking a moment to pause, reflect, and remember. The memories of each day soon fade, getting sucked into the black hole that has consumed the memories of our 'unextraordinary' days in the past. We associate each year with single isolated events, rather than the entirety of the experiences that led up to/resulted from them.
A 1 second video every day goes a long way in rectifying this. We are visual beings; if you ask me about that walk I took in the park 3 months ago, I might not remember. But after seeing even just a 1 second video, the emotions from that moment come rushing back.
The Present
I recently saw a video called I Forgot My Phone (below). It's a powerful 2-minute video about the sad reality of why we're not living in the moment, and it quickly made me realize that I was also a victim. It made me realize that I was too often concerned with the things that don't really matter, rather than fully embracing the present moment.
It was from that point on that I challenged myself to adjust my habits, and put my phone away.
That being said, I didn't want to forget about my moments. A 1 second video has thus far been the perfect solution. I'm no longer disengaged recording full-length live concerts on my 2 mega-pixel camera, but rather capturing its essence in an extremely short clip, enabling me to bask in the experience.
The Future
There's something unsettling about not having a great clip to use for a particular day. Did I make the most out of my day? Was it a waste? Sometimes the answer to that second question is a yes. It's fine when it happens every so often because we do all need our rest, but when there are a string of days where you had nothing to record, it raises a flag.
Where the concept becomes really useful is:
1.) Raising those flags. Had I not consciously thought about what I did that day, I might not have realized that I didn't do anything enjoyable for a week straight.
2.) Encouraging you to create more moments. It's easy to sit back in your comfortable state and do nothing. But when I know I don't have anything exciting planned for the day, it pushes me to go out and create new moments.
I'm often finding myself thinking about my week ahead, and what I'm doing each day. If there's a day where I don't have something awesome already planned, I'm now making a conscious effort to fix that.
My Video
Here is my month's worth of 1 second clips, taken from November 6th to December 5th, 2013:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOP_lEXRFKY
As you can probably tell, I've spent a good amount of my time-off socializing, going out, and spending time with my friends. I'll be particularly interested to see how the compilation will transition as I begin working full time in the new year.
In Summary
A 1 second video every day has changed the way I view each day, and has definitely been one of the most useful apps I've downloaded. Do you think this is something you'll try for yourself? Let me know in the comments box below!