9 ms·

I have not found it to be overly burdensome. I have an indestructible kyocera flip phone, so I'm able to call people (and SMS in a pinch). I have an LTE-enable

I have not found it to be overly burdensome. I have an indestructible kyocera flip phone, so I'm able to call people (and SMS in a pinch). I have an LTE-enabled tablet, so if I'm going somewhere totally unfamiliar, I'll throw it in my bag just in case I need to look up some information. Otherwise you just have to plan your outings in advance - like we always did prior to 2008 or so. I have a Garmin GPS mounted in car for road trips, which I honestly prefer since it doesn't tempt me to fiddle with it while driving like a smartphone does. I also carry a semi-nice digital camera sometimes. It's obviously not as convenient as a smartphone camera, but I find I am more thoughtful and appreciative of the photos I take as a result. I use more paper items (small paper notebook for grocery lists, transit tickets instead of using the app, etc). This can be somewhat freeing, as I've missed my ferry a handful of times because their app glitched out. My personality tends towards obsession and analysis paralysis, which can be good for programming but sometimes bad for real life. I no longer obsess over which restaurant has the best looking pictures or online reviews, I just walk inside and try it out. Sometimes this is for the better, sometimes for the worse, but it's definitely a more human experience. Without the smartphone, I also find I am much more inclined to talk to random strangers, since I can't just whip out the phone during awkward silent moments. With lack of FOMO, I am also much more present with family and friends, which is probably the biggest benefit.

stagehn 6y ago
Thank you for sharing these experiences
wussboy 6y ago
Thanks for your great response. I’ve often considered doing something like this. I wonder if there is a way to accomplish many of these things while still carrying your phone? For example, what if your phone took 5 minutes to unlock? And didn’t give notifications until you unlocked it? Just a thought.
- mdiesel 6y ago
  My OnePlus (not sure how widespread the feature is on android) has a Zen Mode, once started you can't use the phone for most things until the timer elapses. A bit different, but good if you want a break.
  - SamBam 6y ago
    It's interesting, but I wonder if 1) The majority of people disable the feature after a short time (if they needed it in the first place, it's hard to maintain the self-control to keep it enabled, when it's presumably trivial to disable), and 2) Whether the cognitive effects remain, even when it's locked, because the mere presence of the phone makes you think about it, and it being locked makes you think about what you're missing.
  - Insanity 6y ago
    If you don't have a oneplus, I suggest the "forest" app. Helps me tremendously. http://forestapp.cc/ http://forestapp.cc/ (No affiliation, just a happy user)
    - wussboy 6y ago
      I’m going to try this. Thanks!
- DeusExMachina 6y ago
  I put my phone in "do not disturb" mode for the entire day. Removing notifications altogether was a great improvement, without getting rid of the phone altogether. You go from responding to picking it up when you decide to.
  - volkk 6y ago
    As someone who has been doing the DND mode for over 8 years now to avoid expecting notifications, it instead has taught me to reach over to my phone every 30 seconds to check the screen for any new ones :( i've started to just chuck it somewhere if I'm trying to focus
    - wheels 6y ago
      I go through and explicitly disable notifications for almost every app. I don't really need to be interrupted to find out someone liked a photo, or that there's something in the news, or that it's raining, or that some new shit shipped from eBay. So even if I do check my phone, I pretty much only have (and then only silent) notifications for messengers. My wife and close friends know that if they need to get me immediately that they can send me a real SMS. When I got a new phone about 6 months ago, I spent about a week horrified by the number of notifications that I was getting by default.
      - HenryBemis 6y ago
        Same. I wanted to minimize use. The only apps that "speak" are: phone, messaging, Skype. The group chats are muted, and I also disabled the auto-refresh of emails. Now unless someone is sending a message just to me, or calls me, the phone stays silent. All other apps (gym, etc) have notifications off completely. That, and keeping the charger in a remote corner, helps to park it and forget it.
    - efreak 6y ago
      Don't DND, use airplane mode (if you want antitheft or incoming calls, disable cellular data and wifi--prey and other antitheft can toggle data by text message if necessary). This way you've still got it available for manual use when necessary, without the wait to turn it on. Also, disable face/fingerprint/pin unlock, and use a longish password, so unlocking it isn't convenient.
- jimmyjazz14 6y ago
  My personal experience on this is like the article above states, merely having my phone on hand caused me to think about pulling it out or looking at it even if it was turned off. It was not till I hid my phone away in my glove box or somewhere I rarely accessed did I feel truly free from it. I will say having done this for months now I really don't miss it and only go grab it when I absolutely need it (usually for work stuff). The result is that I feel much less distracted and more focused on my life as it happens, also my view of the world seem more grounded in reality now.
- alanbernstein 6y ago
  I have a way to do this: I have a smartphone without an unlimited data plan. I can use it out of the home for calls, texts, notes, photos, music, and cached maps, without being tempted to surf the web or whatever. If I need a map or a web browser urgently, I can still use data, but I pay a relatively high rate for it. I call this a "self-imposed vice tax". Of course, on wifi, it can do everything that phone with a normal data plan can do. I just don't bother, because most of the time I'm on wifi, I have a laptop available. Especially these days.
- rnin100 6y ago
  This can be done with Tasker. It's the most advanced phone app for automation. I believe it would be simple to make a task showing a screen that cannot be dismissed whenever the phone is unlocked.
  - wussboy 6y ago
    This is the sort of answer I was looking for. Unfortunately I’m on iPhone. :(
    - opan 6y ago
      It looks like IFTTT is available for iOS, and I've heard it compared to Tasker.
- jcynix 6y ago
  Besides the DND features of the OS, I use the Macrodroid app on Android to silence my mobile based on location and time. For example my devices will turn off WiFi, dial down audio levels and brightness at a certain time in the evening, even while I might use it. This is a cue for me to put it aside if I still might access it. Also, based on location, I automatically disable all notifications while at the gym or in a restaurant. If a had an urge to access it anyways, I might set the brightness to zero too.
heroHACK17 6y ago
Thank you for this - I am considering making the switch also. The biggest switch for me would be losing music streaming. What do you use for music on-the-go (at the gym, commuting, walking around, etc.)?
- jcynix 6y ago
  Gym? Just the gym, no music. Walking? The same, enjoying my surrounding. I quit music streaming (tried Amazon, Google) after some trials and concentrate on a selection of music, which I can listen to again and again. I do use a tablet with a 256GB SD card, so have space to store a variety of things. While my musical taste is eclectic (i.e. from classic over techno to glitch) I mostly prefer to either listen to music or do other things, instead of mixing those activities. I do listen to music on commutes, and sometimes while doing certain chores in the kitchen though. But otherwise either or, not both.
  - ckosidows 6y ago
    I've started leaving my phone out of my gym time as well. It feels like the right thing to do, but it definitely feels odd or like I'm different somehow. At the gym I go to everyone listens to music while lifting and it's almost surreal to look around while resting between sets to see everyone is dialed into their own little world. I wonder what gyms looked like in earlier generations (I'm only 27). Did people talk more?
    - foxdev 6y ago
      Latter seasons of Highlander tell me they were mostly for people to test their rivals out before a final confrontation in another part of the city in the final act.
      - efreak 6y ago
        According to pokemon, gyms exist only as a place for making your pet fight someone else's pet
    - 6y ago
stevensawtelle 6y ago
Thanks for the detailed reply. I will have to seriously give this some more thought. I saw somewhere else you mentioned you did it as an experiment at first - I think if I do it I will pursue a similar approach. I appreciate that you mentioned you still have the LTE tablet - one of my biggest concerns was traveling and the HUGE convenience apps have on my life then.
- therealx 6y ago
  I traveled in Europe with a combo of an iPad Mini and, in some countries, a burner. It was a good choice at the end of the day.
- apatters 6y ago
  You don't necessarily have to go cold turkey. I haven't gone all the way and actually gotten rid of my phone, but I personally operate in three "modes:" - Mode 1 where I'm going to need it for a task like navigation, or I'm OK with killing time and letting my mind wander. I keep it near me, always silent/no vibrate, and check it fairly often. - Mode 2 where there's a remote chance I may need it because I might need to take a phone call or deal with an OTP. It sits out of sight, preferably in another room entirely. - Mode 3, the phone is physically powered off. This is pretty much always the case after 8pm, it's frequently the case when I'm working, sometimes the case when I'm out with friends. In practice I'm almost always in Mode 1 or Mode 3. I accept that it's OK/necessary to submit to distractions (though I do keep it on silent), or I just say screw it and turn it off. In my experience if you develop a habit like always just powering it off after 8pm, after a few weeks the phone starts to lose its hold on you. You start having moments during the day where you're fiddling with it and your brain just goes "screw this, I would rather be relaxed, happy, and living life." That's the moment where Google, Apple etc. have lost the war they're waging against you, your brain is no longer hijacked, and it all gets better from there.
noja 6y ago
> I have an LTE-enabled tablet What made you compulsively use your phone, but not your tablet?
- bserge 6y ago
  Imho, it's way more cumbersome, can't just have it in your pocket.
  - bamboozled 6y ago
    So where do you keep your tablet ? Why not put a phone in the same place ? Just put it “away”?
    - deleted 6y ago
      [deleted]
    - srtjstjsj 6y ago
      Brains are good at outsmarting themselves. Why don't junkies just stop taking drugs?
johnchristopher 6y ago
So, basically, you replaced a multipurpose device for specific devices you take with you if needed. Not really pre 2008 tech.

stagehn 6y ago

Thank you for sharing these experiences

wussboy 6y ago

Thanks for your great response. I’ve often considered doing something like this. I wonder if there is a way to accomplish many of these things while still carrying your phone? For example, what if your phone took 5 minutes to unlock? And didn’t give notifications until you unlocked it? Just a thought.

mdiesel 6y ago
My OnePlus (not sure how widespread the feature is on android) has a Zen Mode, once started you can't use the phone for most things until the timer elapses. A bit different, but good if you want a break.
- SamBam 6y ago
  It's interesting, but I wonder if 1) The majority of people disable the feature after a short time (if they needed it in the first place, it's hard to maintain the self-control to keep it enabled, when it's presumably trivial to disable), and 2) Whether the cognitive effects remain, even when it's locked, because the mere presence of the phone makes you think about it, and it being locked makes you think about what you're missing.
- Insanity 6y ago
  If you don't have a oneplus, I suggest the "forest" app. Helps me tremendously. http://forestapp.cc/ http://forestapp.cc/ (No affiliation, just a happy user)
  - wussboy 6y ago
    I’m going to try this. Thanks!
DeusExMachina 6y ago
I put my phone in "do not disturb" mode for the entire day. Removing notifications altogether was a great improvement, without getting rid of the phone altogether. You go from responding to picking it up when you decide to.
- volkk 6y ago
  As someone who has been doing the DND mode for over 8 years now to avoid expecting notifications, it instead has taught me to reach over to my phone every 30 seconds to check the screen for any new ones :( i've started to just chuck it somewhere if I'm trying to focus
  - wheels 6y ago
    I go through and explicitly disable notifications for almost every app. I don't really need to be interrupted to find out someone liked a photo, or that there's something in the news, or that it's raining, or that some new shit shipped from eBay. So even if I do check my phone, I pretty much only have (and then only silent) notifications for messengers. My wife and close friends know that if they need to get me immediately that they can send me a real SMS. When I got a new phone about 6 months ago, I spent about a week horrified by the number of notifications that I was getting by default.
    - HenryBemis 6y ago
      Same. I wanted to minimize use. The only apps that "speak" are: phone, messaging, Skype. The group chats are muted, and I also disabled the auto-refresh of emails. Now unless someone is sending a message just to me, or calls me, the phone stays silent. All other apps (gym, etc) have notifications off completely. That, and keeping the charger in a remote corner, helps to park it and forget it.
  - efreak 6y ago
    Don't DND, use airplane mode (if you want antitheft or incoming calls, disable cellular data and wifi--prey and other antitheft can toggle data by text message if necessary). This way you've still got it available for manual use when necessary, without the wait to turn it on. Also, disable face/fingerprint/pin unlock, and use a longish password, so unlocking it isn't convenient.
jimmyjazz14 6y ago
My personal experience on this is like the article above states, merely having my phone on hand caused me to think about pulling it out or looking at it even if it was turned off. It was not till I hid my phone away in my glove box or somewhere I rarely accessed did I feel truly free from it. I will say having done this for months now I really don't miss it and only go grab it when I absolutely need it (usually for work stuff). The result is that I feel much less distracted and more focused on my life as it happens, also my view of the world seem more grounded in reality now.
alanbernstein 6y ago
I have a way to do this: I have a smartphone without an unlimited data plan. I can use it out of the home for calls, texts, notes, photos, music, and cached maps, without being tempted to surf the web or whatever. If I need a map or a web browser urgently, I can still use data, but I pay a relatively high rate for it. I call this a "self-imposed vice tax". Of course, on wifi, it can do everything that phone with a normal data plan can do. I just don't bother, because most of the time I'm on wifi, I have a laptop available. Especially these days.
rnin100 6y ago
This can be done with Tasker. It's the most advanced phone app for automation. I believe it would be simple to make a task showing a screen that cannot be dismissed whenever the phone is unlocked.
- wussboy 6y ago
  This is the sort of answer I was looking for. Unfortunately I’m on iPhone. :(
  - opan 6y ago
    It looks like IFTTT is available for iOS, and I've heard it compared to Tasker.
jcynix 6y ago
Besides the DND features of the OS, I use the Macrodroid app on Android to silence my mobile based on location and time. For example my devices will turn off WiFi, dial down audio levels and brightness at a certain time in the evening, even while I might use it. This is a cue for me to put it aside if I still might access it. Also, based on location, I automatically disable all notifications while at the gym or in a restaurant. If a had an urge to access it anyways, I might set the brightness to zero too.

heroHACK17 6y ago

Thank you for this - I am considering making the switch also. The biggest switch for me would be losing music streaming. What do you use for music on-the-go (at the gym, commuting, walking around, etc.)?

jcynix 6y ago
Gym? Just the gym, no music. Walking? The same, enjoying my surrounding. I quit music streaming (tried Amazon, Google) after some trials and concentrate on a selection of music, which I can listen to again and again. I do use a tablet with a 256GB SD card, so have space to store a variety of things. While my musical taste is eclectic (i.e. from classic over techno to glitch) I mostly prefer to either listen to music or do other things, instead of mixing those activities. I do listen to music on commutes, and sometimes while doing certain chores in the kitchen though. But otherwise either or, not both.
- ckosidows 6y ago
  I've started leaving my phone out of my gym time as well. It feels like the right thing to do, but it definitely feels odd or like I'm different somehow. At the gym I go to everyone listens to music while lifting and it's almost surreal to look around while resting between sets to see everyone is dialed into their own little world. I wonder what gyms looked like in earlier generations (I'm only 27). Did people talk more?
  - foxdev 6y ago
    Latter seasons of Highlander tell me they were mostly for people to test their rivals out before a final confrontation in another part of the city in the final act.
    - efreak 6y ago
      According to pokemon, gyms exist only as a place for making your pet fight someone else's pet
  - 6y ago

stevensawtelle 6y ago

Thanks for the detailed reply. I will have to seriously give this some more thought. I saw somewhere else you mentioned you did it as an experiment at first - I think if I do it I will pursue a similar approach. I appreciate that you mentioned you still have the LTE tablet - one of my biggest concerns was traveling and the HUGE convenience apps have on my life then.

therealx 6y ago
I traveled in Europe with a combo of an iPad Mini and, in some countries, a burner. It was a good choice at the end of the day.
apatters 6y ago
You don't necessarily have to go cold turkey. I haven't gone all the way and actually gotten rid of my phone, but I personally operate in three "modes:" - Mode 1 where I'm going to need it for a task like navigation, or I'm OK with killing time and letting my mind wander. I keep it near me, always silent/no vibrate, and check it fairly often. - Mode 2 where there's a remote chance I may need it because I might need to take a phone call or deal with an OTP. It sits out of sight, preferably in another room entirely. - Mode 3, the phone is physically powered off. This is pretty much always the case after 8pm, it's frequently the case when I'm working, sometimes the case when I'm out with friends. In practice I'm almost always in Mode 1 or Mode 3. I accept that it's OK/necessary to submit to distractions (though I do keep it on silent), or I just say screw it and turn it off. In my experience if you develop a habit like always just powering it off after 8pm, after a few weeks the phone starts to lose its hold on you. You start having moments during the day where you're fiddling with it and your brain just goes "screw this, I would rather be relaxed, happy, and living life." That's the moment where Google, Apple etc. have lost the war they're waging against you, your brain is no longer hijacked, and it all gets better from there.

noja 6y ago

> I have an LTE-enabled tablet What made you compulsively use your phone, but not your tablet?

bserge 6y ago
Imho, it's way more cumbersome, can't just have it in your pocket.
- bamboozled 6y ago
  So where do you keep your tablet ? Why not put a phone in the same place ? Just put it “away”?
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]
  - srtjstjsj 6y ago
    Brains are good at outsmarting themselves. Why don't junkies just stop taking drugs?

johnchristopher 6y ago

So, basically, you replaced a multipurpose device for specific devices you take with you if needed. Not really pre 2008 tech.