Have you ever tried moving your smartphone just out of reach? Seriously, it’s a fascinating experiment.
A few weeks ago, a trip forced me into a week of complete disconnection – no internet. My phone stayed in my backpack, and it was glorious. I honestly didn’t miss a thing.
The experience sparked a question: Could I reduce my reliance on my phone? Could I win back the time and creativity this device was robbing me of? So, I embarked on an experiment to see if I could go through my day, doing everything I need and want to do, but without the constant temptation of a smartphone. This isn’t about going low-tech; it’s about going different-tech. You see, I love the internet and technology. What I resent is handing over the keys to my mood, my focus, and my media consumption to the designers of these devices.
My theory is that you don’t have to disconnect completely to be left alone. You just need to take a small detour off the beaten path. This led me to evaluate my needs: What functions did I truly need available at all times, and what could I leave behind or handle differently?
The result is a new, two-part setup:
1. My Smartwatch. I’ll admit, I’ve underutilized this device until now. It was mostly a fitness tracker and a source of reminders. That has completely changed. Without a smartphone, my watch’s role has expanded dramatically. It’s now my mobile wallet and, thanks to LTE, the channel my family can use to reach me when I’m out. It still reminds me of appointments, and I even listen to podcasts on it during my commute. It turns out that virtually everything I need immediately available works perfectly on my wrist. This is literally my only every day carry now. The next one is a bonus idea.
2. A Small E-Reader. This addition is something I don’t strictly need, but I love it all the same. It addresses a specific behavior I noticed: using my phone as a time-filler whenever I was bored. Sure, I could read a book on my phone, but aren’t videos more interesting? Let’s just briefly skim the news. Wait, what?! Can’t believe this happened. What are people saying on social media about it? It would be so much better to just read a page in my book, but my phone presents too many temptations and despite knowing what I actually prefer… more often or not the phone picks my journey for me.
This is where my Boox Palma comes in. It’s a smartphone-sized e-ink reader, just functional enough for simple note-taking or a quick web search on Wi-Fi, but completely useless for watching videos. It’s wonderfully bad at pulling you away from its main purpose: being a fantastic portable e-reader. This device now lives in my backpack. I charge it about every five days (yes, e-ink is amazing!), and that’s it. It even has an average camera for snapping an occasional picture.
So, this is the experiment I’m running right now, and so far, it feels liberating to leave the device at home that I once couldn’t stop pulling from my pocket. I plan to share what I discover about myself and this setup as I go.
As an added bonus, I’ll be travelling to the US soon. With my personal phone staying at home, I won’t have to worry about handing over my data if requested by an immigration officer. They are welcome to my business phone – the only smartphone I might bring.
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