1 Second Every Day App - mini adventures Bachelor of Travel

I Tried The 1 Second Every Day App And Failed Miserably

Download an App they said, it will be easy they said! And by they, I mean, I.

Mini Adventure – Download 1 Second Every Day App and Record One Second Of Your Day

Price –> FREE

Excuses – time and technology (?)

Time –> less than 1 minute per day

I I was very very excited about this mini-adventure. It seemed easy and straightforward. Download an app, set a reminder for every day so you can press a button and record one second; look back at the end of the month and go “ohhhh” that was great. Easy? Right?

Well, yes! It definitely wasn’t a hard thing to commit to and I did have an “ohhh” moment at the end looking back. But there were three things I struggled with the most.

  • the authenticity of the moments
  • being present while remembering to pick a moment
  • choosing the right moment

But before we get into that, here is the video in question.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BxTm6XsFe-r/


From the 30 days of the month, (actually 31st because I included the 1st of May) here are my stats.

  • 3/31 missed days I have no 1 second video for
  • 3/31 days on which I cheated and added a video later #sorry
  • 5/31 days I recorded my food
  • 5/31 where I recorded a university or work moment
  • 10/31 moments with friends
  • 4/31 moments of landscapes
  • 1/31 ANZAC Dawn Service moment
  • 1/31 comedy show moment (Joe Lycett, he was incredible)

Authenticity Of The Moments

Looking back at this little compilation of seconds I feel lucky to be surrounded by good friends, great opportunities and pretty landscapes.

However, I couldn’t help but feel that the portrayal through my lens was staged. My moments with friends, in particular, felt as though I had to pause real life to capture the moment.

Landscapes and food moments I did not have the same issue with. But they are considerably less impactful. When we look back fondly we want to see faces, not another plate of food.

Being Present While Remembering To Use The App

The first week of using the app, I failed miserably. I kept trying to recreate moments that had just passed or record anything for the sake of it. Pretty much all of the 3 cheating days were within the first week.

When I did remember to capture a moment, it morphed into a little annoying thought at the back of my mind which kept asking, “should we do it now? what about now? um, know?”

1 Second Every Day App - one of the moments

Choosing The Right 1 Second Every Day Moment

Most of the days began with the feeling that I needed to record a moment. By midday, I would mostly have forgotten all about it. That means that my choice of moments was usually limited to things after 2 PM. I also struggled with deciding which moment I should record and often left meetings with friends only to be annoyed I forgot to record them. Hardly what you want to remember from having just caught up with a friend.


So, let’s briefly talk about the lessons of this mini-adventure.

The discussion so far is probably unfairly critical. I did not hate the App, I definitely did not hate putting those moments together and watching it now does bring about a warm fuzzy feeling.


What surprised me the most was I hardly remembered most of these moments. If you had asked me to give you a recap of my month, I probably would not have thought of them straight away.

  • I forgot I was briefly sick and slept upwards of 12H for a one week period
  • I forgot I had an important test I did very well at
  • I forgot I put orange skittles in a glass of Prosecco which made it taste bitter. (not to be repeated)

These are all not terribly exciting moments if you look at them from a distance but on that day, that is what I chose to record. That is what made life fun and weird and boring. (I am looking at you Psychology test!)

Would I recommend the app?

Actually, yes! For a short period of time like a month or two, it has the ability to shine a light into what your everyday life looks like. It makes you notice things we let pass, reflect on your routines, your habits, your way of living life. If you don’t like what you see, you can change it!

If you do, you might find a new found appreciation for life.



Did you download the 1 Second Everyday App this month? Would you try it out? Tell me everything!

[mailerlite_form form_id=2]

Rania Kalogirou
Rania Kalogirou

Freelance copywriter and junior developer in training. Since moving to Europe from New Zealand, I have embraced the semi-digital nomad dream, working with clients while exploring the world.

Leave a Reply