It is absolutely fascinating to see other people going on this same journey I've been on recently. There is a shift and a change happening culturally among people who know to keep their eyes open, it seems. I can answer to the phone bit -- in trying to completely break my phone addiction (I was on there for six hours a day, eek!), I went to an old flip-phone for six months (yes, where you have to press a number multiple times to change the letter from an 'A' to a 'C' :P).
While it was at times inconvenient not being able to quickly check my bank funds, or when trying to text someone back, I can say that it also led me to a great deal of peace and comfort realising that I could live without a smartphone. I now have a smartphone again, but the only apps are music, banking, texting, and calling. One of my loved ones is running it through a 'family' account designed for children, meaning I can't download new apps or anything extraneous without their 'parent account' permission. Paradoxically, these 'rules' have actually given me a lot of freedom.
A huge yes also to notebooks! That's another thing I rediscovered while reverting to a 'dumb phone' -- the joy of writing things down by hand, since I no longer had a phone to take notes on. I've found that it stimulates creativity, it helps me get unstuck when writing...there truly is value in giving your mind time to think. I haven't yet been brave enough to ban myself from my laptop while writing, but perhaps that's a step I'll fully commit to in the future!
Jess, thanks for this. You've given me some good ideas for how to handle my own phone usage.
It helps that I'm old enough to remember life without cell phones. It's reassuring to have clear memories of a world that went on turning before smart tech and to know that even today people function beautifully without it. I worry most about traveling without apps like Uber and Google Maps and without local information like restaurant guides at my fingertips. On the other hand, I feel the whole experience would be more of an adventure without it. I think I'd be proud of myself, even if I couldn't navigate perfectly, just for having tried.
And yes, the notebooks are doing wonders so far. More on that in another update, but safe to say I think I'll be sticking with them for the long haul.
Harkening back to a time without phones is very reassuring indeed. After all, humans have done just fine without them! What they can do, we can also do. I found that while it was very intimidating to travel without Uber or Google Maps, it forced me to research well before-hand about the place I was going, even making my own little 'maps' on paper that I could follow, with all the turns listed. One becomes more attuned also to road signs and where everything is. I think it's a great idea to think of it as 'an adventure', and you'll be so proud of yourself for learning these skills!
It is absolutely fascinating to see other people going on this same journey I've been on recently. There is a shift and a change happening culturally among people who know to keep their eyes open, it seems. I can answer to the phone bit -- in trying to completely break my phone addiction (I was on there for six hours a day, eek!), I went to an old flip-phone for six months (yes, where you have to press a number multiple times to change the letter from an 'A' to a 'C' :P).
While it was at times inconvenient not being able to quickly check my bank funds, or when trying to text someone back, I can say that it also led me to a great deal of peace and comfort realising that I could live without a smartphone. I now have a smartphone again, but the only apps are music, banking, texting, and calling. One of my loved ones is running it through a 'family' account designed for children, meaning I can't download new apps or anything extraneous without their 'parent account' permission. Paradoxically, these 'rules' have actually given me a lot of freedom.
A huge yes also to notebooks! That's another thing I rediscovered while reverting to a 'dumb phone' -- the joy of writing things down by hand, since I no longer had a phone to take notes on. I've found that it stimulates creativity, it helps me get unstuck when writing...there truly is value in giving your mind time to think. I haven't yet been brave enough to ban myself from my laptop while writing, but perhaps that's a step I'll fully commit to in the future!
Jess, thanks for this. You've given me some good ideas for how to handle my own phone usage.
It helps that I'm old enough to remember life without cell phones. It's reassuring to have clear memories of a world that went on turning before smart tech and to know that even today people function beautifully without it. I worry most about traveling without apps like Uber and Google Maps and without local information like restaurant guides at my fingertips. On the other hand, I feel the whole experience would be more of an adventure without it. I think I'd be proud of myself, even if I couldn't navigate perfectly, just for having tried.
And yes, the notebooks are doing wonders so far. More on that in another update, but safe to say I think I'll be sticking with them for the long haul.
Harkening back to a time without phones is very reassuring indeed. After all, humans have done just fine without them! What they can do, we can also do. I found that while it was very intimidating to travel without Uber or Google Maps, it forced me to research well before-hand about the place I was going, even making my own little 'maps' on paper that I could follow, with all the turns listed. One becomes more attuned also to road signs and where everything is. I think it's a great idea to think of it as 'an adventure', and you'll be so proud of yourself for learning these skills!