A millennial going three weeks without having a phone? This is history in the making. So many people said to me "you must be going crazy without a phone! That sucks!" But it really doesn’t, well not as bad as everyone thought it would.
Disclaimer: I did have an iPad and my laptop that I was still able to communicate with, but only when I was able to connect to WiFi.
The cons:
No texting/calling in emergencies: There were no major emergencies but there could have been. There were a few times I could have used one at work or driving different, new places.
No GPS: I know, I should have grabbed my moms 2000 Garmin GPS but I thought I could've navigated it on my own. I mean in three weeks I only got lost for about a total of one and a half hours!
Daily things were (almost) forgot about: Having a smartphone got me in the habit of paying bills, checking bank accounts, and a lot of my other financial obligations. This wasn't too big of a problem but forgetting to put these apps on my iPad could've been a problem if I didn't remember soon enough.
The pros:
There was really only one, and it's so big that it outweighs any of the cons.
Life: I got to really enjoy life for three weeks. Now, I'm not saying that I have never enjoyed life or any of that nonsense but I got to really see how much a phone takes away from everyday life. These phones are becoming more than a phone, a GPS, or banking information. They're a source of entertainment that people think they need to be entertained by 24/7. I got to eat out and not sit there on my phone, I can't lie, it got a little boring, but not enough to wish I had a phone. Throughout those three weeks I thought to myself many times that I’m so glad that I didn’t have a phone.
My solution:
So I'm sure you're all reading this thinking that I'm going to switch and get a nice, high quality flip phone with prepaid minutes and save myself from phone entertainment destruction. Well you're wrong. I will be getting another, better iPhone but insisted of going crazy and having it with me all the time I'm going to be conscious of how much time I spend on it. I'm excited to go up north, to the beach, or even to work and leave my phone in the car so I can enjoy the moment and time spend with others. I know I'm going to miss some Instagram perfect moments, but I know it'll be worth it.
My challenge to you:
Take a step back and think about how much more you use your phone for besides calling. My guess is that you even text more than you need to on top of all of the social media, gaming, and important things. Just realize how much time is spent on that device and change it. Even if you spend just one hour less on it a day, it’s one hour more that you’ll get to enjoy life even more!
