Today I've unwrapped an Austrohaus Freewrite. Half a year ago I was feeling a bit overworked. I'm privileged in that I love my work a lot - so much that if I don't restrain myself it can eclipse the private life. As a result I was looking for new hobbies. Hobbies that wouldn't involve computers so much. At the same time, I enjoy myself the most when I'm doing something useful-ish.
I thought I'd really enjoy writing more. However, sitting behind a laptop it's easy to fall into the trap of checking email, Slack, or doing research. Before I know it I'm lost on Wikipedia, or Facebook. Those activities have their time and place but I didn't want them leaking into my hobby. I wanted to enjoy some quiet time with just my brain.
You're thinking: "So, use pen and paper". They too, have their moments, but I'm so spoiled by tech that I can't stand the inefficiency of my deplorable handwriting, nor the thought of having to transfer that writing to my blog somehow. I wanted to remove barriers to encourage writing - not add new ones.