We recently took a week off and I decided to switch my phone off too just to experiment! What would my week be like without it?
Disclosure, I have text message on my iPad which I use for my two kids and my mum, but that’s all, no WhatsApp or social media which I guess were the main things I wanted a break from.
The first couple of days were fine because we didn’t go out. We just chilled. The day that we did go out, we went to Narberth, parked in the car park, and went to pay for parking. I always (when possible) do this on my phone. I began to reach for it (yes, I brought it just in case there was something I really couldn’t do without it! Are we addicted??) then I said, let’s just pay and put the ticket in the car! What did this mean? A five minute add on to the day as I walked back to the car to put the ticket on the dashboard. If you do it by phone, you don’t have to do that. Phones are a convenience and we don’t do inconvenience very easily in the West, but that’s another blog!
We were staying in a beautiful lodge with a great TV, Netflix and Prime etc.. Next challenge, signing in. We used John’s phone! And we could have done it from the Ipad, but the point is, our phones are linked to so much of our lives, that you have to wonder whether we could live without them. If you do, I would love to hear from you!
All of my banking is on my phone, so I couldn’t check it. I didn’t know what was coming in or going out unless John told me. Now, again, I know that I can set this up on my iPad and maybe I will after this experiment, but the only way I have right now is via the phone.
I missed being able to take a photo! Maybe I should by a small camera for when I want to switch off.
When John and I went our separate ways for a couple of hours, I knew I wouldn’t be able to contact him – what did we do back in the day? When we started dating, it was pay-phones.
I have recently seen on social media (sigh) a return of land lines for teenagers, I think I’d quite like a land line.
What are screens doing to us and our children? I saw on the news the concern that kids are spending too much time on screens in the classroom, let alone at home. Just because we can, doesn’t mean we should.
The week came to an end, and, I admit, I was quite excited to welcome my phone back into my life! There were plenty of WhatsApp’s to scroll through, but I hadn’t missed anything earth shattering on social media.
We know phones are here to stay, but I am going to switch off more often and maybe make it more into a dumb phone rather than a smart one! Not sure they’re that smart actually!
Why don’t you try it? Switch it off for a week – Simple, not easy.
Until next time,
D x
