# about I am [Samuel Pitonak](https://samuelpitonak.com/?utm_source=live.freewith.tech). These practices come from my own attempt to change my relationship with technology and live through the trade-offs. The journey began in January 2023 with a drastic digital reset. Technology had taken too much of my attention, so I stripped my phone back to the essentials and returned to pen, paper, and analog journaling. The distance helped me decide which digital tools deserved a place in my life. I gradually brought useful tools back, then started examining privacy, data portability, provider dependence, and my ability to leave. The names came later: first self-awareness, digital minimalism, and tech independence; then [reset, reclaim, optimize](/journey); and eventually [Paper First Life](/concepts/paper-first-life) and [Journal Companions](/concepts/journal-companions). The aim is to make deliberate choices, keep compromises visible, and put life back in charge of the tools around it. Technology remains part of that life. ## publishing trail fwt. began publicly through writing on [Substack](https://freewithtech.substack.com/?utm_source=live.freewith.tech) in January 2025. Writing there helped me become more confident sharing the ideas before I started documenting the journey through weekly videos on [the #freewithtech YouTube channel](https://fwt.wtf/youtube?utm_source=live.freewith.tech). The Substack remains available as an archive. Neither channel currently follows a regular publishing schedule, but I plan to publish new #freewithtech videos on YouTube again. - [Watch #freewithtech on YouTube](https://fwt.wtf/youtube?utm_source=live.freewith.tech) - [Read the original Substack archive](https://freewithtech.substack.com/?utm_source=live.freewith.tech) ## affiliation I created and independently maintain fwt. The paid [fwt. axis](https://fwt.wtf/axis-app-store?utm_source=live.freewith.tech) and [fwt. joex](https://fwt.wtf/joex-app-store?utm_source=live.freewith.tech) apps are first-party products I build and own. Links to them are not affiliate links. I will label any future sponsored or affiliate relationship clearly. ## source The software is MIT-licensed. The practice content is CC BY-SA 4.0. ## the public trail - [my phone addiction damaged real connection](https://fwt.wtf/rebuild-relationships?utm_source=live.freewith.tech) - [100 days with my Apple Watch as my main device](https://fwt.wtf/phone-who-needs-it?utm_source=live.freewith.tech) - [Paper First Life: the human OS for the AI era](https://fwt.wtf/ai-cant-replace-this?utm_source=live.freewith.tech) - [things I don’t tell AI](https://fwt.wtf/ai-is-not-a-friend?utm_source=live.freewith.tech) - [how I avoid both surveillance and self-hosting hell](https://fwt.wtf/privacy-balance?utm_source=live.freewith.tech) - [digital footprint optimization without the overwhelm](https://fwt.wtf/quiet-progress?utm_source=live.freewith.tech) [Browse the complete YouTube trail](https://fwt.wtf/youtube?utm_source=live.freewith.tech). ## timeline - **January 2023 - Digital reset:** Digital tools had taken too much of my attention, so I removed every app from my iPhone and returned to analog journaling. That extreme change became the beginning of the [reset, reclaim, optimize](/journey) journey. - **Early 2025 - Making the journey public:** I began publishing fwt. writing on [Substack](https://freewithtech.substack.com/?utm_source=live.freewith.tech). It gave me room to become more confident creating content before I started documenting the journey through weekly videos on [the #freewithtech YouTube channel](https://fwt.wtf/youtube?utm_source=live.freewith.tech). Together, they created a public trail of the practices, experiments, and changes in thinking. - **June-October 2025 - From companion apps to Journal Companions:** I began building small Apple Watch tools in June. By July, I was [demonstrating fwt. axis and fwt. joex and inviting people to test them through TestFlight](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSMGbaeZXbg&utm_source=live.freewith.tech). I released [fwt. axis](https://fwt.wtf/axis-app-store?utm_source=live.freewith.tech) and [fwt. joex](https://fwt.wtf/joex-app-store?utm_source=live.freewith.tech) in September, then launched [Journal Companions](https://journalcompanions.com/?utm_source=live.freewith.tech) in October. This gave a name to the broader idea that small digital tools can support a paper-centered system while remaining secondary. [Read about the Journal Companions concept](/concepts/journal-companions). - **November 2025 - Wrist-first experiment:** I changed my cellular setup so a smartwatch could handle essential communication while my phone stayed away for longer. This became the [wrist-first concept](/concepts/wrist-first) and an ongoing test of constrained technology. - **February 2026 - Naming Paper First Life:** I introduced [Paper First Life](https://paperfirst.life/?utm_source=live.freewith.tech) as the clearest expression of paper's role in my system. It remains an anchor within the broader #freewithtech practice. [Read about the Paper First Life concept](/concepts/paper-first-life). - **April-August 2026 - Building the practice database:** In April, I wrote down the practices and unresolved compromises in my own life for the first time. I rebuilt and expanded the list in July, checked it against the YouTube trail, and used it to create the first live #freewithtech practice database. Through July and August, it became [directly linkable practices](/), concerns, concepts, and journey entry points. - **September 2026 - Launching the practice database:** I replaced the previous public landing with the live #freewithtech practice database. The earlier version remains available at [v3.freewith.tech](https://v3.freewith.tech/?utm_source=live.freewith.tech), while the new site turns the ideas into concrete practices people can search, adapt, and keep in their own collection. ## support this work I publish the live #freewithtech practice database freely. These are paid Apple Watch apps I built as Journal Companions. Buying one supports my continued work on fwt. ### fwt. axis Track just 6 habits daily. Live a balanced life. A habit tracker for Apple Watch with integrations to Health for mood and mindful session tracking. Platform: Apple Watch. Availability: paid. [View fwt. axis in the App Store](https://fwt.wtf/axis-app-store?utm_source=live.freewith.tech) [Read more about fwt. axis](https://v3.freewith.tech/apps/axis?utm_source=live.freewith.tech) ### fwt. joex Offload everything. Continue the moment. A capture tool for Apple Watch that makes offloading super easy in order to remain present. Platform: Apple Watch. Availability: paid. [View fwt. joex in the App Store](https://fwt.wtf/joex-app-store?utm_source=live.freewith.tech) [Read more about fwt. joex](https://v3.freewith.tech/apps/joex?utm_source=live.freewith.tech) ## Navigation - [Practice database](https://live.freewith.tech/) - [freewith.tech docs](https://live.freewith.tech/docs.md) - [Journey](https://live.freewith.tech/journey.md) - [Contact](https://live.freewith.tech/contact.md) - [Privacy](https://live.freewith.tech/privacy.md)