How a Calculator, Diary, and Alarm Clock Made My Smartphone Obsolete

The illegible yellow Post-It note stuck on my car's dashboard remains a mystery to everyone else.

The message states: Typical. Take the next roundabout. Exit at the second turn. Continue for some distance (go past Old-Hat). Turn left towards Buck. It’s not much farther. Then take a left toward Canon. Conclude there. Number 17. This all seems perfectly logical to me.

Here’s how I navigated to an unfamiliar destination—I researched the route using a desktop at work earlier and jotted down the instructions before heading out.

In the depths of my work bag, beneath the pedals of my front passenger seat, lies an item. Google Pixel 8a That could definitely guide me through it step-by-step if I desired it to.

The automobile radio is tuned in. Classic FM , my favorite station. This is a composition I recognize, and it shows up on the screen. It's Mozart’s Piano Sonata No. 16. I've often pondered about this piece but never knew its title until now.

I acquired eagerly awaited information without relying on an internet-enabled gadget — and if the web were to go offline abruptly, it wouldn’t impact my progress at all. This experience was immensely liberating and fulfilling.

Once upon a time, I was deeply immersed in smartphone culture before I decided to distance myself from it. smartphone addiction , to refer to it correctly – as much as anybody.

Frequently, when I was using my phone, I wouldn't notice my spouse talking to me. Sometimes, after what felt like just ten minutes of scrolling through Instagram before bedtime, I would be shocked to discover that over an hour had passed.

And just like millions of others, I picked up the extremely unsanitary practice of bringing my phone bring your phone with you into the bathroom .

In 2001, when I was 10 years old, I received my first mobile phone because my incredibly cool young aunty worked at Carphone Warehouse. She helped me get a notoriously durable Nokia 3310, and I spent hours playing Snake on it.

My initial ringtone was a decent imitation of Destiny's Child's "Survivor," which I purchased from an advertisement in the back of a magazine. Among us who had cellphones, we exchanged contact information during recess to send incomprehensible messages to one another via texts later on.

Twenty years later, on the day our daughter Melody was born, both my spouse and I captured over 200 photographs. images of her from that particular day On our smartphones, we shared her arrival with pictures on social media and spread the joyful message to all our relatives and buddies via WhatsApp.

When Melody turned two, she ceased her play to pass me my phone instead: "Here’s your phone, Mum," she stated seriously as she looked at me.

My stomach dropped suddenly. Noticing my phone lying around, she assumed I required it. Despite not seeking it myself, she drew my attention to it since my phone was not in my possession.

And that concluded everything for me.

To an extent, I can excuse myself for becoming so dependent on my phone. From early childhood, my father struggled with chronic illness, physical disabilities, and frequently faced severe health problems that caused him great pain and suffering.

Each time the telephone would ring and I noticed it was my mom calling, anxiety gripped me as I hastily snatched up the receiver. Whether I was at school, college, or later at work, she'd call with messages like 'Your dad's been admitted to the hospital,' 'Your father isn't doing too good,' or 'I didn’t mean for this to upset you, but...'

For two decades, I made sure my phone was always within reach, so I wouldn’t miss That Call.

In May 2024, the moment we had been waiting for arrived, and my father passed away.

It took me several months to understand that this won't repeat with him—there's no need to keep my phone glued to me at all times due to an unconscious, persistent anxiety.

Upon having that realization, I started pondering about all the other things I do with my phone due to habits formed over many years.

The modern smartphone is least of all a telephone It serves as a calculator, camera, calendar, alarm clock, media player, miniature TV, gaming console, notepad, photo album, newspaper, and countless other functions.

Certainly, these were items I already possessed, and they had been serving me well previously. I had no doubt they would keep up their good performance today.

That's when I resolved to implement significant alterations.

During the heart of winter, I bought a SAD lamp I placed it beside the bed. This change helped by taking my smartphone out of the bedroom — eliminating its use as an alarm clock and stopping late-night browsing on social media.

I likewise put money into an attractive paper organizer from a petite company based in the UK and dedicated time to meticulously fill it with dates for birthdays, appointments, and vacations.

Screenless mindfulness has gained another point of validation.

I purchased my present phone primarily for its camera quality, but once this one becomes outdated, I'd like to get a high-quality standalone camera. That way, I could switch to using a basic 'bricks' mobile phone instead. In the interim, you might say my phone functions more like a camera that occasionally receives calls from my mom.

I recognized that this was all part of a larger plan. I spend my days confined to a desk in front of a computer, and our app-centric lifestyle traps individuals within their small digital worlds, supposedly in the name of efficiency.

As soon as you understand that each application worldwide employs people solely to devise methods of capturing your focus and keeping it locked in order to prevent you from engaging with other activities, you start to develop a much lesser inclination towards these apps.

In the past, I would often pick up my phone only to forget what I originally intended to do, and end up scrolling through social media until I remembered my initial reason. This process isn’t very fruitful at all.

Comment now Are you hooked on your smartphone? Share your thoughts in the section for comments below. Comment Now

A survey done by USwitch In 2022, it was disclosed that adults spend an average of five hours per day on their smartphones, not including time spent on screens for work purposes. This represents a two-hour increase from what was observed in 2020. Essentially, this means that over the course of a week, individuals typically dedicate a full twenty-four-hour period solely to interacting with their phones.

Our devices are pulling us away from reality and simultaneously turning into our whole universe—real-life experiences have turned into mere distractions from this digital realm.

Just because I am able to complete a large shopping trip using an app on my phone does not make it beneficial for me, and it surely lacks the enjoyment factor compared to hearing my daughter joyfully call out the names of various veggies we see at Aldi, much to the amusement of those nearby.

I swapped aimless lounging on the couch for diving into my collection of books. This year, I've already managed to read five novels — each one having been on my 'To Be Read' pile for over a decade.

I feel calmer, more present And—guess what—more efficient when I'm not getting pulled into the abyss like Alice down the rabbit hole. doomscrolling .

Absolutely, I wish to stay reachable – being a mother means wanting quick access for my child’s daycare provider to get hold of me whenever necessary.

But all I require at that point is a telephone.

It doesn’t need to be intelligent, and I prefer it that way.

Would you like to share a story? Reach out via email for us to connect. jess.austin@.co.uk .

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