A few weeks ago, I was driving home from La Crosse, my hometown, with my dad in the passenger seat. We reached a point in the car ride where conversation ceased for about three minutes when all of a sudden I realized that I had forgotten my phone at home. I don’t know why, but for some reason, I had come to this unfortunate conclusion an hour and a half into our drive back to Madison. Needless to say, we weren’t turning around.
Having this unexpected situation occur, I decided to embrace it as the perfect experiment! Technology is such a pertinent part of our society and everyday life. Like I told my dad, if I would have forgotten my computer I would have had to turn around to get my computer because it is necessary for my classes every day. Phones, on the other hand, aren’t a necessity. We as a society have just weighted them with so much importance that most people can’t imagine living without one. I am living proof that it is possible! Here are some lessons I learned from not having my phone for 72 hours.
- Most people use their phones as their daily alarms. Because of that, I had to spend $12.00 to buy an alarm so that I would be able to make it to class on time!
- Every time I needed to get in contact with someone, I had to go on my computer to do so. This meant that I had to carry my computer with me everywhere, which was definitely a burden. Communicating was a little bit more difficult as well.
- I had a strange sense of freedom because anytime I felt the urge to go on my phone I was reminded of the fact that it wasn’t with me. Fortunately, this allowed me to be much more observant of what was going on around me; I love to people watch! It was nice not having a phone as my go-to entertainment, I just observed what was going on around me instead.
- I found that I was able to fall asleep faster at night. I always distract myself from falling asleep by going on my phone, which is bad! But, without my phone, I was able to ease my mind before falling asleep for the night.
Overall, I would say that I definitely had a positive experience living without my phone for a few days. There were minor inconveniences of course, but nothing that hindered me from going on about my daily life as normal. I suggest trying it, even if it is only for a day! I think you’d be surprised to find out how much you rely on your phone and how much you take it for granted that within seconds you can communicate with anyone, no matter where they are.