a day without my phone

inspired by xan and also ashley from @bestdressed, i spontaneously decided to do a no phone challenge! i’ve been spending a lot of time on my phone since i got back from new york, so i thought it’d be good to do a phone detox. i’ll update with my thoughts, feelings, and all that throughout the day!

8:17am

last night at 11pm, i put my phone on do not disturb, unwound from the day by bullet journaling and reading a bit, then went to sleep! i actually just started bullet journaling again (who says you can’t start a bujo in the middle of the month??) and it’s been super fun! i totally remember why i liked it so much in the first place.

i somehow woke up at 6:30am today (probably jetlag), and the first thing i did after getting out of bed was turn off my phone and put it away. i slowly got ready for the day and watched some youtube videos (new got7 comeback – go watch!! AHH this is seriously such a good comeback).

so far, i don’t really feel any different, probably because i still have my laptop so i can still message friends through messenger. however, i’m going to stay off other social media platforms today (facebook, instagram, tumblr, etc) and i think it’ll be good! i realized that i’m going to lose all my snapchat streaks….. sorry friends <3

it’s actually a bit inconvenient to do the detox today because i need to text some friends and figure out our plans for tomorrow, but thankfully i still have messenger! i also told my parents last night in case they try to call me today and it doesn’t go through – i didn’t want them to freak out and think i was dead or kidnapped or something haha, but they’re still worried about not being able to contact me. hopefully nothing happens?? i’m pretty sure everything will be fine!

12:07pm

i just walked to my local library, and it was actually sooo nice. i normally listen to music when i walk, but it was actually really peaceful just walking and listening to the sounds of nature and suburbia.

after i got to the library, i read a random self-help book (my favorite things to read these days hahah – please give me more recommendations!), and it was actually super cute! i also tried to check out a few books, only to find that my library card has been expired….for two years. thankfully, renewing it was super quick and easy, so i checked out turtles all the way down, the happiness hack, and the beginner’s photography guide. i’m just going to chill at the library a bit longer, then take the bus back home!

4:42pm

i was at the bus stop and i was honestly pretty stressed because the bus wasn’t coming and i thought i’d have to walk home (~40 min) with my laptop, three books, and water bottle, but thankfully it did come….11 minutes late. gotta love buses, am i right??

when i got home (around 1:30pm), i fried some dumplings for lunch. if you have a costco near you, you HAVE to try these bulgogi mandu – they’re SO gooddd. after that, i walked to safeway to get some cookie ingredients so i could make cookies to share with my friends. on my way back from safeway, i was super super tired for some reason – i literally could barely keep my eyes open. i took a nap when i got back, and now it’s finally time to bake!

9:14pm

i had dinner (more dumplings, boiled this time) and finished baking! the cookies are a bit hard, but they still taste good 🙂 i ended up making chocolate chip/butterscotch cookies (the butterscotch chips were the most expensive ingredient i had to buy, but definitely worth it!!). after dinner/baking, i played card games with my brother and dad for a while, and we also watched part of the warriors game – warriors won the finals! i don’t really follow sports, but i still have some san francisco pride haha

now it’s actually time to clean, sigh….. cleaning is actually one of my least favorite things to do but it always feels so good afterward when you have a clean, organized space!

6:52am, the next day

for the rest of the night, i just talked to some friends and finished unpacking my clothes, like i’d planned, so yay! it’s so nice because i have a lot more open space in my room now, and it’ll be even better when i finish unpacking the last suitcase :))

around 11pm, i got ready to sleep and read a bit of turtles all the way down. i realized that i actually have read it before, and it’s just not really grabbing me, so i probably won’t finish it. i went to sleep around 12am and woke up early (thanks, jetlag), and now i’m finishing up this blog post!

concluding thoughts

i realized that it’s really not that difficult to live without my phone (especially since i had my laptop)! i’m pretty proud of myself for surviving an entire day (>24 hours) without my phone. however, i’m not sure if i could do it for an entire week, for practical reasons (but also i am kinda dependent on my phone oops). speaking of phone dependency, i recently discovered a new app that’s really great – it’s called yourhour (only available on android, sorry apple users). it tracks your phone usage and tells you how dependent/addicted you are to your phone, and it also gives you challenges based on which apps you use most (ex. don’t use instagram for more than 10 min in the next 24 hours; don’t use your phone at all for the next 2 hours). if you’re interested in decreasing your screen time, i’d definitely recommend this app!

here are all the pros and cons of this experience:

pros:

• SO relaxing
• empowering – this is YOUR time, and you get to do what you want instead of being a slave to your phone
• not constantly bombarded by notifications
• less anxiety/restlessness
• more intention/mindfulness (eating, walking, etc)
• more productivity! so much easier to stay focused

cons:

• can’t contact my parents. i don’t have imessage on my computer, and my parents don’t really use facebook. texting/calling is my main way of communicating with my parents, and they were really worried about not being able to contact me in case there was an emergency (thankfully, nothing happened!)
• inconvenient – can’t check directions/bus schedule on google maps, write down lists/reminders on my phone, etc
• can’t use productive apps (memrise, bible, plant nanny, daylio/mood trackers, headspace, alarms/timers, weather, etc)
• can’t take pictures or listen to music on the go – definitely the worst part, but i guess it worked out because i got to take a really peaceful walk!

despite the cons, this was SUCH a great experience. i’m definitely going to do no phone days more often – maybe once every other week! it’s just so so relaxing, and it’d be super helpful when you really need to get things done. honestly, putting your phone away for a day won’t kill you. the world keeps moving, people keep posting on social media, and it’s okay if you miss a bit of it. just take a deep breath and…unplug! it’s all going to be okay 🙂

would you try a no-phone challenge? if you try it, let me know how it goes!