Sarah Hart Unger recently put out a call for screen time input and of course I couldn't help but message. I decided to think about what I like about my no-phone life right now and here's the list I came up with. (for more info - I quit my smartphones in 2021)
More time. After quitting phone use I had to find something else to fill my days and I started reading. I read 5 books in the entire 10 years of smartphone life and now read about 50 a year.
More focus. I found before I would have trouble focusing on things that were less entertaining than a smartphone. For instance... a toddler. But now that I don't have the option of something shiny I pay better attention to what is happening around me.
More friends. This is a weird one, but when I stopped having lots of whatsapp groups to contribute to, and when long form text conversations became burdensome, I started contacting people far more for in person play dates and social hang outs. I am now so busy/social and have far more people that I actually see on a regular basis. When I used WhatsApp I had lots of groups with only occasional in person hangouts.
No FOMO. I thought I was going to miss things, but as per the above, I am busy! I am too busy to miss things. I never find myself at a loss for what to do. Sure, I miss some photos of my kids that get posted on facebook by the nursery, and I may not find out about upcoming holiday camps or free events, but I don't miss these things. If I needed more photos I would ask nursery - I love hearing from my kids about their days more than I miss seeing photos of their days.
No Comparison: I don't have any artificial comparison. I find out about my friends and their kids through natural conversation. I don't know who is on holiday until they tell me. I don't think everyone else's life is better than mine. I think everyone's life is probably great. And I always look forward to hearing about whats happening with my friends in a non curated, real life interaction.
Not using a Smart Phone seems awkward and weird, and sometimes makes my life harder (like, when I don't have access to google traffic or I can't check if my train is on time). But overall, while individual moments may be more complicated, the balance is definitely pro digital minimalism for me.
Wow! I had no idea that you were phone-free. The biggest advantage that I can think of it that it must help a lot with work-life balance.
ReplyDeleteOh definitely! When I am done with work I am DONE with work. I can go upstairs and log back into my work computer if I want, but I'm way more able to focus on my kids and family without constantly checking my phone (which is what I used to do all the time)
DeleteI honestly can't imagine living my life without a smartphone at this point. Podcasts, maps, texts. I'm very impressed!
ReplyDeleteI do have an ipod which I use for podcasts and google maps offline. I've sort of separated the "phone" from the "Smart" - so the phone is dumb and the ipod is smart, but not smart enough to get internet outside the house. Or Whatsapp. Or Social Media stuff.
DeleteGood to know that ipods can do podcasts. That's one of my hangups with potentially quitting smartphone when this one finally breaks (she typed onehanded as she nursed the baby)
Delete@Satchel - I'm fairly sure Nursing is what pushed me over the edge in my phone use in the first place. So much sitting time. So much "I need to stay awake" time. It wasn't so bad with Isaac but when the whole world was shut with Lilah and all I had was a feeding baby and a glowing screen for months it was not good for my habits/wellbeing.
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