How to Live Without a Smartphone

I was going to start this post out with a big explanation of why, in 2024, you should think about going cellphone-free. Or at least smartphone free.

I found phone-use statistics, broken up by user age. I found research-based articles about how phone use affects our mental health and happiness.

The numbers are horrific. They're overwhelmingly negative. It almost makes cigarette smoking look healthy.

But after several recent conversations about phones, I'm convinced of one thing.

You already know your phone isn't healthy for you.

At least a little.

The constant notifications. The data harvesting. The selling of your privacy. The doomscrolling while a friend is talking to you.

So it's not the why that you need.

It's the how.

I don't carry a phone of any type.

I haven't since 2017.

I get a reaction when I say that. I call it the "buffering" look. People kind of gaze off while thinking through their day - trying to puzzle out how life would work without their phone.

They often can't. And that's a bit scary.

Maybe being a GenX'er helps in this case - I can remember life and work before smartphones. I don't have to relearn so much as unlearn.

So here's how my day-to-day phone-free life works.

I work remotely as a Managing Editor for a global software integration company. For that job I have a dedicated work laptop.

I communicate with my coworkers using email, Teams messaging, Teams calls, Zoom calls, and Slack.

It's all doable on the laptop. No smartphone required.

MsBoyink has a smartphone. If we're out together and I need to get directions, check email, or grab a quick photo, I'll use her phone.

I have a personal laptop. I use it for what you'd expect - personal email, photo editing, writing, etc.

I also recently bought an iPad, thinking it could replace an older laptop of MsBoyinks. That hasn't happened yet, so I'm mainly using it as a second screen when I'm mobile.

When we are apart and I'm on a laptop, MsBoyink and I communicate using Apple's iMessage. I use the desktop client and she uses her phone. We could also Facetime, but for some reason never do.

I have a Google Voice account for when I need to make the odd actual phone call for a doctor appointment, etc. I also use Google Voice for the two-factor authentication that my employer has configured on our network.

I use desktop clients for posting to Instagram and Slack (WhatsApp has one as well but I'm not active on it).

If I'm not on a laptop and won't have access to MsBoyink's phone, I need to either plan ahead or just know what I'm getting into.

Usually I just make sure I know where I'm going or have an address with me that I can plug into the GPS.

If I'm driving to a place where I'll need parking, I'll arrange it before heading out. In most cases I can pay online via my laptop.

Worst case, I use a hotspot for internet access. I can take it and the iPad with me for an awkward mobile internet solution.

There are times when using a smartphone isn't nessessary, but is easier than the alternative. Here are a few:

• A recent failed attempt at buying gas triggered our banks auto-fraud detector. Getting our debit card reenabled involved text messages and phone calls, all of which we were able to do immediately with a smartphone.
• When I have the (rare) need to send paper documents electronically, using the smartphone camera and email is easier than trying to find a fax machine.
• Some non-work related websites use two-factor authentication and don't like Google Voice. The phone is handy to get the confirming text message or phone call.
• Many local events now use eTickets, but usually we're attending as a couple so I can use MsBoyink's phone to display the ticket. I could print the ticket out - but we also don't own a printer.
• COVID fears made eating out tricky for a while. Many restaurants used QR codes instead of printed menus. Now I can't think of a local restaurant still using QR codes.
  

Going without a phone means I need the dedicated devices that a phone usually replaces. I have a:

• Camera
  
• GPS
• Kindle
• Watch
• Bedroom clock
• Kitchen timer
• Vintage home stereo system with record player

Smartphones can be like Swiss Army knives. They're handy in a pinch but the dedicated tools are often better. I still prefer my camera, kindle, and stereo over the related smartphone apps.

I've always said if I absolutely need a phone again I'll get one.

But I keep finding workarounds.

So far, the only thing I might want to do and can't is rent one of the public Bird/Lyft scooters here in Tulsa. They only work via an app and I don't want the ride bad enough.

You might be thinking, OK Boyink, really you're just as online and connected as anyone with a smartphone. You're just using larger, more awkward, technology.

What's the upside?

It's a fair question.

I often ask it of myself.

I don't track my screen time, so if you are a data nerd and want the before/after numbers, sorry. I can't help you there.

The main difference is perspective. Heads up or heads down?

I see people walking past beautiful art-deco buildings, looking at their phone. I see people riding through gorgeous countrysides, looking at their phone. I see people in social settings, ignoring the potential to make a new friend, looking at their phone. I see people at a concert where the band is killing it, looking at their phone.

And no judgement. I used to be a heads-down person. It took some personal trauma and a long recovery to break that phone addiction.

But now, on the other side, I appreciate a heads-up life.

With my head up, I see things.

• Small works of art on the sidewalk
• A bike rider, circling back to help a homeless woman push her cart up a small hill
• A sax player smiling and shaking his head at the piano player's solo
• The way the sun catches the windows of a building just before sunset
• A rental RV lumbering down Route 66, someone enjoying the trip of a lifetime

These little scenes stick with me longer than anything I scrolled past on social media.

For many people phones are necessary. I don't mean to imply everyone can or should live smartphone free. Please don't feel like you need to justify your use of one.

I just wanted to write up how I do it, in hopes that it helps people get through that "buffering" time a bit faster.