A week-long phone ban feels daunting in our digital era. We feel the need to be readily available because we have the devices that allow us to be. Notifications are turned on, and we receive buzzes for every email, DM, text and chat. Our society has become accustomed to checking our phones constantly, in fear that we’ve missed something.
At the turn of the new year, I wanted to change my relationship with technology. My fall semester of senior year of college was filled with deadlines and running from place to place without ever really being present. With leadership positions on campus, I often find myself checking my email multiple times a day. Although I have a “do not disturb” setting on, I never really truly turn off my notifications. It just didn’t seem possible.
So I wanted to use my spring semester to begin my journey in changing my relationship with technology. The class “A Good Life?” centered around us learning how to live a good life, including a transition to rural Montana for two weeks. With a single bar of data fading in and out, I decided to let my phone die without recharging it. However, this voluntary phone ban didn’t come without planning. I spent hours on the train replying to emails and sending messages letting people know where I would be in my position of little to no service. In my short time off the grid, I learned a few things to carry with me as I continue to change the relationship I have with technology.
#nostreaks
This one seems a bit silly, but it is something that I wanted to change as I wouldn’t have access to a phone for a week. I had a routine of doing The New York Times mobile games, with a Wordle streak of almost a year. I would follow it up with LinkedIn games, which I’ve spent nearly a year of playing regularly. A Duolingo streak of nearly 900 days lived in my phone — almost two and a half years of daily check-ins with the app. I also had a few Snapchat streaks, one of which was just over six and a half years. Six and a half years of sending a photo back and forth with someone, that is.
In the past, I often felt stressed when going to bed, feeling the need to make sure the Wordle was completed, and that all my streaks were completed. Not to mention making sure I had used all three of my mushroom battles on Pikmin Bloom. Midnight became a deadline that was hardwired into my brain as a daily check-in, ultimately showing no real reflection of my day. It only added another tally to the constructed number of my daily usage of apps.
I was more than ready to remove this midnight deadline from my life, crossing over into new days of uninterrupted conversations with friends, long-lasting card games and earlier bedtimes that lacked the guilt apps designed to steal my attention.
#tangibleskills
I kept my phone tucked away in a pocket, beneath my jumble of clothes I wore for the month. The second I had free time, I didn’t reach for my phone. But this doesn’t mean I didn’t think about doing so. It feels natural to catch up with a spare minute. These minutes add up, though, and I had no idea how much time I was wasting with “just a few minutes” here and there. In my phone ban, I filled my few minutes with some other tasks.
Knitting
Just a few weeks ago, I bought some green yarn from a knittery shop and set on a goal of completing a scarf. With a few avid knitters in my class, I was taught a simple knitting pattern, and a scarf fit for the wintry weather of Minnesota is in the works now. In some spare time, I pulled out the yarn and added an additional few rows to the scarf.
Knitting was hard. In the transportation and switching of different needles, I nearly added 10 new stitches. I unknit nearly all of my progress; I was annoyed and upset during this process, but ultimately taught myself how to recognize the correct stitches. I don’t know if I will continue knitting projects, but I will be able to claim that one handmade item as my own. Usually, I look up YouTube videos during a new crafting project, but it was nice to rely on friends who offered to help me throughout the process, which ultimately made it more enjoyable.
Some crafting
We also spent many hours searching for the perfect strand combination for friendship bracelets. Very camp-like, but the high in finding different blends for a new bracelet was unmatched. We had canvases available, which led to some of the greatest spontaneous art from my classmates that I wish I could recreate. Similar to my knitting attempt, I typically rely on YouTube and Pinterest for my artistic inspiration. However, without screens to scroll and shows to catch up on, it was an easy task to make a bracelet with a few spare hours.
I often think I don’t have enough time to craft during a semester. I have a beat-up orange ottoman filled with canvases, pages, paint and clay that I hardly touch during the year. With the new semester, I noticed moments where I lay in bed and was “catching up.” I made those brief and moved to my desk and began to knit or write a letter. I feel so much more accomplished than if I continued my “catch-up.”
Learning an instrument
Several guitars lay around the site we stayed at, and one day, we had a “mini guitar lesson.” From then on, a friend and I made the daily habit of brushing up on our freshly acquired chord patterns. Calluses are forming in my left hand, although my strum pattern still needs a bit of work. We learned “Happy Birthday” for our professor, and played along with everyone singing.
I usually get embarrassed when beginning a new skill. If I am not immediately good at something, I often find myself quitting before I begin. I didn’t want to continue that pattern. Even with my limited skill, I’ve worked on practicing in front of others, which is not something I’ve done before. It’s a bit intimidating, but it also feels nice to be more open about an interest in new hobbies.
Some classic gaming
I was blessed to be surrounded by a group that loves a game of Dutch Blitz just as much as I do. Late nights were filled with just “one more game,” and we would cycle through players to make sure everyone had a chance to participate. This led to games before class, before meals and a quick round or two while preparing clothes at a laundromat.
Late-night screen time traded with board games and cards was one of the most exciting activities. This isn’t always achievable, as the activity requires participation with others. I found playing simple games with my cohort to be one of the most meaningful parts of the experience. We heard screams of happiness after winning a round, the cursing out over someone taking someone’s card, and the walls breaking down between us.
Reading
I often feel as a college student, I don’t have enough time to read “fun” books. Any time I have to read, I spend it on textbooks. By the time I’m free to read a book of my choosing, I usually find something else to do. I finally read a book a friend recommended to me over the summer that I “never had the time” to read. I did have that time, and I couldn’t put down the book as I reached the last quarter. Reading a book over break has even led me to feel excited to read my own textbooks over this spring. It was a re-ignition of falling in love with reading.
Simply sitting outside
One free afternoon, I took some of those great blends for a bracelet and sat inside with a fishtail braid pattern in mind. My mind immediately opted to put on some music, but I didn’t have a device to play it off of. After a moment, I decided to sit by a dock on the lake nearby. When I thought about staying inside and listening to some music to unwind, I was reminded of the world just outside the door. I was able to have the same unwind — an even better one — from breathing in the fresh pine air.
#didimissanything?
I had received many emails, which was expected, and I had some texts to respond to. I had the privilege of turning off my phone for a week. My family was safe, and I was reachable if necessary. I am still in school, with the possibility of taking a hiatus from campus jobs that require me to work and respond. I hadn’t missed as much as I thought I likely would have.
It’s not always possible to remove yourself from technology, and I completely understand that. I think the same effect could be achieved with intermittent technology fasting. Time limits can be just as effective, without completely removing yourself from “the grid.”
#sowhat?
As I am moving into a new semester, I know that I can’t necessarily just abandon technology for a week. I have class emails, online homework, and group chats to coordinate. I don’t think that a phone ban is necessary for adjusting to a healthier relationship with technology. Seven days without technology seems simultaneously like a short amount of time and a huge commitment.
One of the most beneficial things to implement in our lives is technology-free spaces. When you hang out with a friend or family member, turn on that “do not disturb” and put your phone out of sight. It’s much easier to check your notifications if someone else does it too. Set an example of no phones at mealtime or scheduled gatherings.
Set a “do not disturb” time for different notifications, and create time limits. A pinging phone keeps you wanting to always be “on” and in the know. Many things can hold off until a fresh day. Create a set time for when you can no longer access apps, especially around bedtime. This can help with dozing off for the night a bit more easily, too. Taking walks outside without plugging into music or a podcast immediately can reconnect you with nature much quicker than you might imagine.
Whatever you find helpful, tailor it to your needs and relationships. Not all technology use can be negative. It may be the only source of communication between a long-distance loved one. Whatever you choose, make it intentional.
