A year ago, I quit social media and can honestly share that I feel less bothered, more peaceful and make better choices with my time. So, although this was originally a year-long experiment of life and business without social media, it's been so good for me that I've decided to stay off, indefinitely!
And to add to that, I've recently become more convicted over my smartphone use in general. The convenience of all the apps and staying organized on my one device has really made me question if my iPhone complicates my life more than simplifies.
In the past few weeks, I've "dumbed" down my smartphone to the absolute basics and now only use it for calls, texts, photos and maps. It's been a fun challenge and, in the same way that I was happy to live without social media, I've also been enjoying using my phone more like a good ole phone.
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| My Current Cell Screen! Swipe left for texts, photos and maps |
On that note, I've recently spent a lot of time remembering my smartphone-free years, trying to recall how I did it all without a smartphone in high-school and my 20's, and wondering what it would look like to get back to that again.
So, here is a list of the things that might been to be replaced if I chose to upgrade from my smartphone to a "dumbphone" in the future:
1. WEAR A WRIST WATCH - In my first days of university, a professor had a student go up on stage for a competition. He said if she could tell him the time within 10 seconds, she would win a prize. Trouble was, by the time she ran back to her seat, pulled her phone out of her backpack and checked the time, the 10 seconds were over and she lost. The professors point was that everyone should wear a watch and I've never forgotten!
2. USE A WALL CALENDAR / CARRY A CALENDAR - It may seem too simple, but I'm currently carrying a piece of torn-out notebook paper in my purse with plans written down and a wall calendar in our kitchen (so Nick can see all our family events and appointments). I found that when I used the calendar app, I had to continually check it because I couldn't remember our plans. But, once I deleted that app and started using a paper calendar, I can remember almost everything without having to constantly re-check plans.
3. USE A CALCULATOR - When Nick and I were first married, we were poor students who went to school full-time and worked all other waking hours. We would go together once per week to ALDI, walk around the store, put items in our cart and add it up on the calculator until we reached $50, which was our grocery budget. It's true that calculator was on our phones, but our phones were just the old bricks that cell-phone companies would give for free because they only made calls. For years now, I've been using my smartphone calculator, but I get sucked into other things on the screen and forget I even picked up my phone for the calculator. So, last week, I bought an inexpensive calculator to use from now on, to stop my accidental multi-tasking.
4. CHECK EMAIL FROM A COMPUTER - I don't get any interesting emails, but still found myself checking for new emails on my smartphone throughout the day. I decided to delete the app and only check my email on my laptop. Now on some days, I forget to even check because the emails are so boring and I'm now not sure what was drawing me into checking on my phone in the first place, except that it was there and I had the habit of checking.
5. QUIT ONLINE SHOPPING - Online shopping can turn into too much browsing and wasting time. I've decided that when possible, I'll just go in person to search for what I need, try it on and make decisions at the store. It beats waiting on shipping and then going out to make returns when most things don't work. Don't get me wrong, I have an Amazon account that I use for many things, but I try to limit it to simply logging in to make a purchase I already know I need, instead of shopping around to see what's available.
6. COMMUNICATE IN PERSON - Too often, I'd be with someone and plan to make plans, saying "I'll text you". Now I'm trying to make a conscious effort to slow down and talk it out and say what I want to say in that moment, so that I don't have to text later to finish up the conversation.
7. KEEP A NOTEBOOK AND USE STICKY NOTES - My thoughts are much more creative when I write them down as opposed to typing them out. So I'm keeping a notebook and sticky notes around to jot down my thoughts and let my mind wander more often.
8. READ BOOKS - I've had a Kindle for probably close to a decade and I can tell you that I read books differently on a Kindle than on a paperback or hardback. Maybe it's that I get my Kindle books free, so I just fly through them, almost skimming the entire story because there was no investment. But, when I'm holding a real book in my hand, I take more time to read slowly and enjoy.
9. TRAVEL WITHOUT GPS - Have you ever used MapQuest? That was how I got around until my late 20s! I would look up the directions, write it down on a piece of paper and head out. I'm directionally challenged, and paper directions don't reroute you when you miss a turn, so I spent a lot of time going backwards to where I was before I was lost and then following the directions again until I got them right. True, it took more time, and I often got turned around or lost, but I always ended up at the right place eventually. And without GPS, I was better about learning my way around. But these days, now that I have my smartphone with me, I'm impatient and don't want to waste time, so I use Maps, even when I could probably find my way. Instead of helping me, it's actually made me even more directionally challenged because I've lost confidence in being able to figure it out on my own. Although I still have the maps app, I use it as little as possible and have considered a Garmin if I do end up getting rid of my smartphone!
10. BRING A CAMERA TO SPECIAL OCCASIONS - Check out this blog post I wrote years ago about the 5 reasons why I think we should stop taking photos.
11. KEEP PHOTOS IN YOUR WALLET - Each time I'm with someone who wants to show me a photo, I watch them pull out their smartphone and scroll forever to find that one. Just last week this happened and it reminded me of when we would just pull a photo out of our wallets. It's there, ready to share and very special because it's the only one. Photos feel less sentimental to me now that we have smartphones and can easily accumulate a hundred photos in one day-trip or event. What if we avoided taking photos, but maybe snapped just one special one to mark an occasion?
12. CREATE PHOTO ALBUMS - Ever since our first year of marriage, I've created a photo book per year and even an extra book for some special trips. It's been a lot of time and money invested into these, since now I have over 20, but I love to look back on them and remember the fun times we've had, places we've been and friends we've spent time with. And now that we have our daugther, Ivy, she loves to look through our books. It means a lot to me to show her the 13 years before she was around that Nick and I were already living a great adventure. I want her to grow up knowing that we had a wonderful life and marriage before her and that she has been a fun addition to our already full life.
13. DON'T REWATCH SHOWS AND MOVIES - I've already seen most of what I watch. Rewatching brings comfort to me because I don't have to worry about any surprises and I can tune out. But I feel better when I give myself some quiet, instead of always filling my downtime with background noise. So, I've considered making a "rule" for myself that I can only watch something I've never seen. Since only so many movies and shows that interest me come out per year, it would drastically cut down on my screen time. But, I have to admit I'll probably still make an exception for Gilmore Girls and holiday favorites like ELF.
14. REPLACE TEXTS WITH CALLS - For the most part, I try to only text when I'm making plans or in groups where it's just more convenient than calling each one of my 9+ family members. I'd rather save my catching up for in person because it's so much more fun and helps motivate me to make plans with people I want to keep up with. Yes, it's easier to keep an ongoing text with someone to stay in touch, but it's much more fulfilling to call and catch up. I have a few girlfriends that I only speak to about once a year when we FaceTime, but those few hours of catching up are so much fun and keep me going until the next FaceTime date we plan.
15. STEP OUTSIDE TO CHECK THE WEATHER - In high-school, I lived in a valley in the Andes mountains and would sleep with my windows open, my fan on and the cool air flicking my white eyelet curtains back and forth. It was so relaxing and I still think about it. My alarm would go off, I'd grab a shower, walk around and wake up my family and then head back to my room to hold my arm against the window screen and look at the sky to determine the weather and choose my outfit. Instead of check my weather app, I've started to let my dog Lucy out to use that bathroom while I stand on my back porch, feel the air and look at the sky to determine the weather and my outfit. True it might change, but usually dressing in layers works out and if you want more of an actual number, consider an outdoor thermometer.
16. SEND SNAIL MAIL - I actually have always loved sending snail mail. Grab some pretty cards and if you want to say something to someone and it's not urgent, consider sending them a card!
For years, I wanted to quit social media, but felt trapped. I was constantly reading blogs and books about others who had gotten offline and felt jealous, but didn't believe it was an option for me since I owned a business that I have grown 99% through social media.
Now that I've proven myself wrong, been off social media for a year, still earning money from my online business and enjoying being disconnected, I've become more confident in the idea that I could also quit my smartphone and be ok.
The more I disconnect from technology, the more I have connected to reality. I have more time for personal relationships, rest, time with God and in nature, focused workouts, time for local and church events, more fun traveling and less rushed as I go through my day.
I know quitting social media, and possibly smartphones, is not for everyone, but if you have considered it, just go for it. If you miss it, it'll still be there. And if you don't, you'll be happy that you challenged yourself to get out of your comfort zone.
