Thread by @thephysicsgirl

I spent 6 days at the end of 2018 without my phone or a computer. Did I suffer? Yes. Was it amazing? YES. Here's what I learned.

The first day, I noticed that I think about/reach for my phone every 10 mins. It's not a person, yet I constantly think about it, check on it, and often give it more attention than actual people. The good news: it only took about a day to break the constant-checking urge.

The second day, the urges to check were when I got back to the car from surfing, back to the house form hiking, etc. It's so sad to know I'd finish an excellent session in the ocean with a glance at what's trending on Twitter. Why?! Addiction. That's why.

I thought about what I'd check on my phone. First, messages (iMessage, WhatsApp, Messenger, Ugh. There are too many ways to be summoned.) When no messages, then emails. None, then Twitter, Instagram, then Slack then CVS, doesn't matter at this point because I'm already sucked in.

I also realized the good things I missed: the ease of planning with friends, ability to check in quickly. The weather app, the calculator, my audiobooks, MUSIC!

And I realized what I didn't miss....... Social Media. Well, maybe just a little.

Third day was hard. I really wanted to *check.* To just KNOW. What useless red badges are waiting?! I started to notice how much other people are on their phones, too. All. The. Time. Not judging, it's me too.

It hit me hard how little I remember about my phone time. I have all these text conversations and scroll through social media, and don't make memories during that time. I've always had enough trouble reflecting on my life, now phone time makes it all a blur.

The fourth day... I cheated. Aghhhhh. It's better to be honest with yourself than to lie to Twitter. In my defense, it was Christmas! I used the phone to send one message to a friend, then turned it off and threw it on the ground like it was a Horcrux! (Wow this GIF is relevant)

5th & 6th day were easy. Honestly, I didn't want to turn my phone back on. When I did, I answered a couple of texts, and turned it back off. I liked not having it.

How have things been since? Well TBH I got really sick, and if there's one thing that makes you want to scroll through drivel on your phone, it's feeling miserable, tired and having a fuzzy brain. 😑

But I am more aware of my phone's power over me. I now realize when I'm browsing, my brain says, "Gross, stop." Or when mindlessly switching between apps, "Just put the phone down. Or open notes and write a to-do list. You're obviously looking for something to do."

I also wrote myself a lil set of rules for phone time. You may find some of them useful!

Also, let me tell you this would have been a LOT harder if I weren't back on Kauai. I didn't need Google maps on the tiny island where I grew up. Also, my parents still have a land line that people could call 😆 (Thanks for calling, Shanying!)