Health

Offgrid Mindfulness Alarm Clock

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Meditation timer that's not connected to the internet

After finally establishing a meditation routine, I wanted something to guide me that wasn’t my phone. When I used my phone and an app, I found that I was checking email or news or other alerts on my way to the meditation app before sitting down. And then I was picking it up immediately after meditating — even if I was just using a timer — and be thrust right back into my digital life. I wanted the benefits of a meditation app timer without the phone. I’ve known about the Zen Alarm Clock for a long time, but the cost ($150) and reviews describing frustrations with the quality gave me pause, so I kept looking.

I’ve been using the Offgrid Mindfulness Alarm Clock for over seven months, and it fits my mediation needs perfectly.

  • I can set the timer duration of my choosing
  • I can include a warm-up period of my choosing
  • I can set interval chimes every X minutes
  • It counts up after the timer is complete, in case I want to track how long I continue to sit
  • I can shut off the screen so I don’t see the timer at all
  • It has a simple meditation chime (can be set low or high)
  • It can be briefly backlit with the press of a button

Added benefit (and this might be its best feature long term): it’s replaced my phone as an alarm clock and removed my phone from my bedroom. In the morning, the meditation alarm clock goes off. I pick it up and take it wherever I’m meditating. It’s the perfect digital detox companion if you’re trying to break up with your phone.

It’s also great for travel. It takes a little bit to get comfortable with all the settings, but after a week or so I was able to change everything in the dark. The low chime setting is still a bit loud at 5 am for my partner (what alarm isn’t?), so I added some duct tape over the speaker grill to dampen it further.

-- Greg Schneider-Bateman 10/15/20

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