Sooo, I have decided to go for it and do this experiment.
It’s an experiment I have thought of doing many times before.
The first time the idea of this ‘big decision’ crossed my mind must have been eight years ago. But somehow it never happened. So this time I decided to call it an experiment, with a start date and an end date. To get myself started I decided to blog about the experiment. So that anyone who is playing with the same thought can follow along.
That sounds like I am doing it for you, right? In all honesty, it’s all to create accountability for myself. ‘Cause this experiment ain’t no joke.
Can I live a full year without my smartphone?
That’s what I call the experiment.
What does this mean? Let’s start with what it doesn’t mean.
- I am not going to ‘control’ my smartphone use,
- I am not putting my phone away a couple of hours before bedtime,
- I am not keeping my phone on flight mode the first hours of the day,
- I am not deleting my social media apps on my phone,
- I am not quitting my social media accounts,
- and I am not switching from whatsapp to signal.
Although all great ideas, I am going full rebel. I am breaking up with my smartphone altogether.
I need a few more days to sort out some practical things, and then I’ll be back in the 90’s or fast forward to a new future. If you receive a text, it’s probably me.
Soon I’ll be planning zoom-calls with friends & family,
I’ll be asking strangers for directions,
I’ll be using my Canon camera for pictures,
I’ll be using my Macbook to check my email,
I’ll be testing my brain when I need to do a quick calculation,
Same for trying to remember the name of that movie or actress.
What a pain.
Why would anyone choose to get rid of the most perfect little device that gives access to family, friends, information, the time, the date, the full agenda, documents, email, navigation, camera, photo’s, music, social media, food-delivery, money, etc etc etc?
Why Rachida, whyyyy?
The reason for completely disconnecting from, in my case, my Iphone12, is this feeling that although I might have purchased it and own it, it started to feel like it owns me more than I own it.
In this blog I will break down my full thought process behind creating my own smartphone detox, my weekly observations of life without a smartphone glued in my right hand and I’ll share how I solve the bumps in the road when getting rid of a smartphone that the world just expects you to have.
I am partly scared, partly excited and mostly have no idea how this year will be.
I know life with a smartphone, but I have no idea what a life without one looks like.
I can’t wait to explore that new life and share the journey with you, no matter where you are in your thought process.
Rachida –