October: No Smartphone

 

Living 15 years in the past.

In October, I completed one of my bolder challenges: using a flip phone for the entire month*. This challenge quickly proved to be the most frustrating one I completed all year. The world of convenience was no longer at my fingertips.

 

There were numerous challenges for this one, some obvious and some I never would have thought of. First of all, it was not easy to get a flip phone. I had to go to two stores, and each one was reluctant to help me. I was even asked to just upgrade to the newest iPhone and completely forget about my challenge.

 

The biggest challenge I faced was texting. To text with my flip phone, I had to resort back to T9. I want to give a shout-out to my generation and our past skills in sending short novels with T9. Unfortunately, the ability to fly through T9 is not like riding a bike; the skill dies over time. That said, responding to texts that should have taken me 20 seconds at most took me minutes. Additionally, I can’t tell you how inconvenient it was to not be able to receive or send screenshots.

 

Sure, I made some more calls, but I felt it was burdensome to others for me to do so. Texting is so convenient for us all. If we are busy, we can respond later; we can be on a different schedule than someone and still communicate efficiently.

 

I use my phone the most for music, and I missed not having it readily available. At first, I started using my iPod video, which was last updated in 2012. Unfortunately, I did not have good taste in music back then, so this only lasted about a week before things got quiet.

 

A surprising benefit from this month was what happened when I watched TV. Without my smartphone, I gave my full attention to what I was watching. This allowed me to enjoy TV more since I was not splitting my attention. This has carried with me post-challenge as I have created a specific Focus on my phone that I turn on when watching TV.

 

I get a lot of questions about what I used for directions. Well, to be honest, this was easy for me. Maybe my life is boring, and I just go to the same places all the time, but 90% of the time, I could get where I needed to be without instruction. If I didn't know how to get somewhere, I would look at a map on my computer. Fortunately, if I had studied the map briefly, I could remember how to get there.

 

The entire time I used a flip phone, I felt very disconnected from the world. I felt like I was walking around with a small flashlight that was only bright enough to light up 3 feet around me. On the contrary, I would compare a smartphone to having my brights on in a car. Here I can see everything coming at me clearly and quickly. Having this small flashlight caused me to slow down. I knew the rest of the world was out there, but it took effort for me to go and shine a light on what I wanted to see. Through this, I was more thoughtful and more pointed with the content I consumed; I was not distracted by an influx of clickbait.

 

With this challenge, I received a lot of comments from strangers. People would stop me and ask if I was actually using a flip phone. I got a lot of laughs; some were kindhearted, and some were mean. It was enjoyable asking someone if they would take my photo and then hand them a flip phone.

 

About halfway through the month, I ordered the new iPhone, so I could switch back right when November came around. My new phone came within a few days and proceeded to be a paperweight. I had to stare at this brand-new phone for a week before being able to use it, all while being held back with my flip phone. Being patient is never fun, but this served as a good reminder that the world will keep spinning, and soon enough, the wait will be over.

 

I recommend this challenge to those that might be addicted to their phones. This is a great reset to help you break the habit of being glued to social media or texting. Additionally, I recommend this challenge if you want the eye-opening experience of living in our world without the master key we are all so used to having.

 

This challenge showed me we have created a society that is not meant to be lived in without a smartphone. It is amazing to truly see our reliance on these devices.

*Note: Given the nature of my job, I have a separate work smartphone which I still used in October but solely for work purposes.

 
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September: Vegetarian Diet

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November: Daily Letter of Gratitude