Have you ever thought of giving up your smartphone for awhile?

[Game2Death]

So, lately I have been thinking. My iPhone 6 is on its last legs. The battery is awful. The wireless components barely work; bluetooth (has a range of 2 inches), WiFi (can't reach half my apartment), GPS (always thinks i'm in my apartment), and LTE (goes to no service randomly). It's time for a new phone.

But I've been debating on trying out a month with a old flip phone. I know some of you think I'm probably crazy, but hear me out. The only social media I have left are this site and reddit. Love these communities, but they wouldn't kill me if I waited till I was in front of a computer. My GPS hasn't been working lately and I've learned that I remember the directions to places much better now. I think it could be good for me to not have it for awhile. I hate how much I feel like I use it.

People can still call and text me. I won't be totally dead, one to one communication feels different than the communication of the world in the internet. It feels like at minimum a month of leaving the online world alone instead of always in my hand would be good for anyone.

Have any of you done this? On purpose or for some other reason? How was it?

 

[davepoobond]

why do you think it would be good, exactly?

 

[Tenck]

My personal life and work revolve around my phone. Whether it's taking a call, texting, or emailing I need to be reached at all times. My secondary job requires me to use my phone and GPS at all times so that also means I can't give up my smart phone.

Edit: Yeah I can text and call people but try emailing on a flip phone. That shit would take forever.

 

[Cream]

No.

 

[Taki]

I didn't have a smartphone for 3 weeks last July and it was weird at first but my life got more peaceful.

 

[Game2Death]

why do you think it would be good, exactly?

Click to shrink...

It feels like it's become a crutch in some respects. My GPS example above is a good one. Have you ever used your GPS even though you probably know how to get there? I did that too much.

And just using it too much in social situations and procrastination. Removing access seems like the best course of action.

 

[Parthenios]

I'm near the end of my contract and I've seriously considered ditching my Note (a seriously awesome piece of tech) for a dumb phone. But I work in IT and being able to access my company network to troubleshoot any time, any where is awesome.

We're increasingly living in a world where Big Data is making owning a personal tracking device a liability.

Also, I'm on my phone way too much even when I consciously try not to be, and this is a terrible example for my kids. I want to go back to 10 years ago when I used the internet "on purpose" (sit down at a PC, log in, do my business, log off) and not as the background radiation of my existence.

 

[Shoeless]

I never made the jump to smart phones, I'm still rocking an old Nokia. Mind you, I'm anti-social, and I work from home in front of a computer, so that probably accounts for why having an additional Internet ready device isn't a big priority for me.

 

[Lord Hypnos]

I didn't bother getting an Android Phone until a couple of years ago. Until then I was still using an old Nokia E65 but figured it was worth upgrading so I didn't have to carry an iPod and phone around with me whenever I went out.

Even now I don't actually get much use out of the phone bar texting and listening to music on the go. If I'm feeling particularly lazy I may use the phone to check reddit in bed but that's the extent of my use. I could easily manage to go back to the old ways as I've never fully embraced all the services that modern smartphones offer.

 

[Game2Death]

I want to go back to 10 years ago when I used the internet "on purpose" (sit down at a PC, log in, do my business, log off) and not as the background radiation of my existence.

Click to shrink...

That's exactly what I am thinking too.

 

[Deleted member 2109]

I have it so I only get texts and calls while I'm out and do my smart phone stuff in bed before I fall asleep. I just don't need the internet or games on my phone during the day.

 

[Beans]

Not totally I am trying to use it less when at home though.

 

[davepoobond]

It feels like it's become a crutch in some respects. My GPS example above is a good one. Have you ever used your GPS even though you probably know how to get there? I did that too much.

And just using it too much in social situations and procrastination. Removing access seems like the best course of action.

Click to shrink...

i dont know. it seems like you can cut back on notifications/apps/use or something like that before completely cutting yourself off.

i think it would be a more impressive exertion of self-control if you can accomplish what you are looking to do without taking this sort of step.

 

[GK86]

My phone's screen died on back in June. I had to go three weeks without a phone and you never really realize just how badly we are attached to these things until you no longer have one. It felt refreshing not having one for that short time.

 

[Futureman]

My phone is useful at times (Google Maps, texting) but generally it's an ADHD distraction machine to be honest.

 

[TrueSloth]

I considered doing it, but this was shortly after I got a new LG G6. So probably in a couple years. I'm looking to be less connected all together.

 

[Hydrus]

No. As much as I hate to admit it, I NEED to always have a smartphone. Internet, Maps ( traffic monitoring), amazon and ebay shopping, taking pics and videos ( need this if your forgetful like me) looking up news and updates of whats going on in my local area ( FB groups) etc... Just too much stuff to give up that would make my life worse.

 

[Valkyrie]

.

 

[Fulminator]

i considered it a few months ago when i was being quite unproductive, but ultimately never did it

id still consider it though if i felt the need

 

[Nilou]

I have an iPhone 7+ but I only really use it for calls/texts or if I need to look up the odd thing while out/shopping/what not so or very rarely some of the chat clients like Line/Discord. I haven't really thought about giving it up as I don't really use many of the "smart" features of my phone.

 

[Anthlenv]

I currently have a iPhone 8 Plus and I think I mostly use it for non-communicating purposes haha. Like Reddit and Looking up information. It comes in handy for sure.

 

[Azriell]

Once a year, my family and my wife's family go to a woodsy lake cabin for a week. The only internet/cell reception is down at the lodge (5-10 min walk away), and there is only 1 small TV per cabin with basic cable. It's fucking great to unplug and spend time with family. We spend a lot of time at the lake, cooking, eating, and playing board games. I love it.

Give up my phone the rest of the time? I'm not terribly attached. I love it as a distraction when I'm waiting around. I'd be ok if smart phones and cell phones were never invented; I'd just have to carry a handheld with me.

 

[chidrock]

I've thought about going without one for a while now just because I feel like I don't have the time for it. The one thing I would really miss is having the camera though...not sure I could go without that.