Sepultura at The Studio. Image / Ambient Light Photography
Have you been to a concert recently? A large portion of the crowd seems to be experiencing the show through their screen and may as well be watching it on YouTube at home. It made me stop and think about the amount of screen time I have. I realised that I was either on my phone or my computer from 7am until 10pm most days, and that’s an awful lot of time staring at a screen and not interacting with the world around you. It’s time to switch off.
How much time do you spend on your mobile phone each day? Texts, calls, listening to music on Spotify, facebook, twitter, instagram, snapchat, taking photos, using maps to help me find my way from appointment to appointment, keeping track of how much exercise I do and my appointment calendar – I use my phone a lot. It’s not necessarily a bad thing when you use it as a tool in your daily life, but is being constantly connected really necessary? How much is too much?
I recently asked people on my facebook page how long they thought they could go without their mobile phones. Answers varied (you can see them all and add your own here), from five minutes (thanks for being honest!) to “I reckon I could last forever without one. Even though I spend so much time using one, it’s really out of boredom.”
While I was on holiday last week I had some time out from my mobile phone (six days to be precise). I still had my laptop with me but restricted myself to using it only for work, and only for a very limited amount of time. As a blogger whose job involves being connected and sharing parts of my life on social media, not having my phone was really hard – much harder than it should have been. There are some social media platforms (like Instagram and Snapchat) that aren’t available on a laptop, so of course I missed those immediately. I decided that I would just enjoy things as they happened instead of documenting them.
It was actually a nice break! Not feeling the need to constantly check my emails and actually having a holiday from work, bliss! Not being available to help people with small things that they really could figure out themselves with the assistance of my good friend Google, a relief! However there were some downsides too.
The Cons:
Despite having a fancy watch, I hardly ever wear it. Instead, I rely on my phone to tell me the time and I use it as my alarm clock. My phone holds all of my appointments rather than requiring me to lug around a day planner. I can take great quality photos and video on my Samsung S6, but without it I found myself toting around my heavy DSLR. I usually jot down notes and ideas on my phone, but I had to remember to carry a notebook with me for when those moments of inspiration struck. I use the maps feature on my phone a lot, but without it I had to rely on directions from other people. Instead of listening to my Spotify playlist on my walk, I had … nothing. I thought I’d miss social media and email the most, but it turns out that all of the little functions that make my life easier are what I couldn’t live without. That, and talking to my boyfriend on the phone while I was away – I admit that he did call me on my Mom’s phone once (so I cheated a wee bit).
The Pros:
I was forced to actually have a holiday and switch off. That’s something that I’ve always found difficult (I will readily admit that I’m a workaholic), so not having the option of sneaking in a bit of work was really good. I did lots of things that I hadn’t done in a while – I read a great book that I’d been meaning to read for ages, I did crosswords in the newspaper, I read the paper in print instead of online (thereby not subjecting myself to the ignorant comment sections on stuff.co.nz and The New Zealand Herald) and I spent time with my family. I also slept better because I was going by my natural body clock rather than waking to an alarm.
The Verdict:
I’m not going to lie, I was very happy to have my phone back on the last day. While it was nice to have a break from my phone I also found it incredibly inconvenient. However, it has made me reconsider the amount of time I spend on my phone and computer. I’m making a real effort to have set office hours and not to keep working through dinner until 10 o’clock at night, as well as limiting my use of my phone after 7pm. That means actually watching a movie with my boyfriend instead of flicking through Facebook at the same time. Let’s be honest – I don’t need to be online for 15 hours a day. I need to experience my life by living it as it happens rather than through a screen. It’s only been a couple of days since I switched my phone back on, and I think that Camille from Makeupper really nailed it when she said “Even though I spend so much time using one, it’s really out of boredom.” Now I’m filling that time with other things that I really enjoy but never seemed to have the time to do!
Would you switch your mobile phone off for a week? How long do you think that you’d last?
I get horrible FOMO (fear of missing out) when I don’t have my phone on me. The longest I ever went without reaching for my phone every few minutes was on my last trip to china because FB/blogspot etc is banned there.
I just had a week in hospital in a ward with no cell reception! I found it really hard to start with but got into good book and I realised how long it had been since I read a book!
I probably couldn’t do it by choice for long though!
There’s nothing quite like curling up with a good book – pity it wasn’t under better circumstances though. I hope you’re feeling better, are you home now?
Oh yes, home and feeling much better, thanks 🙂
So glad to hear! Take care of yourself lovely lady xo
I don’t know if I could last very long at all! I’m going on holiday in a couple of months, so it might be something to have a think about trying. It was really interesting to read your reflections.
I agree, we need some more time without our phones. I think if I didn’t speak to my parents on WhatsApp and calls, I would spend a hell of a lot less time on my phone. I don’t like going to dinner with people who spend all night on their phones. It annoys me.
I don’t mind them taking photos of the food/group but if you’re texting more than interacting at the table, it’s a problem.
Funny you mention that – I was at dinner the other night and NO ONE took photos of their food or used their phone at the table. It was awesome! I really hate when I am trying to spend time with someone and they’re on their phone most of the time so I’m trying to be conscious of not doing it myself!
once a year, I go camping for a week where there is no service, so there is not opportunity to cheat even a little. It’s a nice break, but soon as I get back into a service area, I am online so friggin fast!!!
I also turn my phone off when ever I’m in the states, but I look for wifi EVERYWHERE so I can communicate with people.
In all honesty, I am a complete addict.
PS…Sepultura!?! HELL YEAH!! \m/ { my old school metal ‘devil horns” emote! }
<3
mm
Oh man, I haven’t been properly camping since I was 17! I feel like this needs to happen. Damn it, why is it winter here?!
I would miss the functions such as alarm clock, notepad and maps too. I also take photos on it all the time.
I use FB and IG a lot but I reckon I could go without the internet completely for a week.
I think I would worry a bit about not being contactable – would it be cheating to tell your best friends and family if they need to get in touch with you urgently to contact with your other half?! Lol
I have had semi-successful attempts at cutting down the time I spend on my phone. I might try that again first …
I think it’s important to be contactable in an emergency (or to be able to contact others in an emergency), so while I was phoneless I still had people around me with phones (thanks Mom!). It was a good way to kickstart cutting down my phone use though!
“That means actually watching a movie with my boyfriend instead of flicking through Facebook at the same time.” – this is a big thing for me! I always multi task with my phone, and it used to piss my ex off a lot. Now I’m knitting when watching, so I keep myself busy (ADD life!) but it’s not distracting or annoying in the same way.
Great topic! Definitely something I have been thinking about for a while as I don’t think it’s healthy for my 2 year old to see me stuck to my phone. I need it for work, but I will start limiting its use in the mornings before work and evenings. 🙂
Good point Aimee – setting an example for our kids is also important. I hate that my kid spends so much time staring at a screen, but he sees it as the norm because I’m just as bad!