- Disable notifications from all applications that are not vital to your life. I enjoy instagram, but notifications are hard-off for me. I check it on my time.
- Turn off all sounds, period, only do vibrations
- Shift from being pushed information to pulling it. Only check apps, SMS, etc... when you want to check them, not when your phone buzzes or blinks at you.
- For loved ones, emergency access, most phones will allow you to define people that bypass this and will ring you.
That's it. Now you can still enjoy your awesome smartphone but on your own time, under your own intention, instead of someone else.
My phone only rings if my wife or family calls, and it only vibrates when I get an email. I keep it face down on another desk in my office, out of view, or sometimes in another room.
Do you ever find this sometimes makes things worse? I've tried it with specific apps, and I often find myself checking those apps more to make sure I haven't missed anything! With notifications, I feel comfortable that if I haven't been notified, there's nothing else to see.
I hate vibrations. I used to get PVS[0] a lot when I was naive and had all the default options turned on.
I still get it, just not as bad. Like, the smallest little rumble on my thigh and I think I've received a message/notification.
I agree with you on disabling notifications though. It's something many people don't consider. Notifications are more consistent with a 'nag' than a notification.
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phantom_vibration_syndrome
People have unreasonable expectations about getting replies to texts or emails. Those are asynchronous channels of communication on a smartphone. If you want an answer now, use the telephone as intended, call me. If it's not worth the seemingly endless stress of using a telephone as intended, then please patiently wait for my reply. ;-)
The only time I miss having one is getting around traffic (I know how to get places, I grew up before the internet). Sure, traffic news on the radio helps, but it's not repeated often enough to be useful.
The reason I don't own a smartphone is simple... I know I'd get addicted to it, and become a worse person as a result.
The things I really need a phone for are directions, making calls, listening to music/podcasts, and occasionally replying to short messages. I should be able to do all of that from a smartwatch. Anything more in-depth can and should wait until I'm at a computer and ready to focus.
I would need the right product to come along, though, and that might never happen.
I wish I could just get a dumb phone, but I at least need communication apps like WhatsApp on my phone.
This year I've actually been trying to go without a personal computer which has been far more interesting as I felt I personally had more of an internet addiction than a smart phone one. I'm writing this on my work laptop, but on the weekends and evenings I don't have access to a computer which means less gaming and less mindless web-browsing. I think that's allowed me to be more present in the evenings which my girlfriend appreciates and I've been doing other things like cooking and DIY.
I will need to start using a personal computer again at some point because I have some personal projects I want to work on, but I want to keep use to a minimum and ideally just use it for personal projects. I suspect people on HN may be more like me and have addictions to their computers rather than smart phones so it could be worth limiting your computer use to a certain time window rather than getting rid of your smart phone.
Life with a dumb phone was fine. I guess sometimes I had to type urls people would send me into my computer. Near the end it was a bit annoying when people would send me five texts in a row, or when people wanted to be super loose with their plans. Planning social stuff has become a lot looser, I noticed, in the last five years because of constant texting.
If you’re considering getting a dumbphone, all I can say is, it’s easier than you think. Carry a little notebook around with you, wear a watch, ask people for directions. I wasn’t shunned by my friends or anything like that. I’m in my early 30s and I even had a landline when I was in college. It wasn’t a problem. You do need a printer, though.
My smartphone is always off, almost no one can join me on it and almost no one can call me unless I specifically tell them I will be reachable at a certain time.
The benefits:
- No stress of having to respond to a call in the middle of nowhere, or to have to compromise my time for non urgent conversation.
- No wasting mental energy in having to wait for a response or a call from someone.
- No stupid apps to siphon my time
- Bed time and outdoor time is not hijacked
- Way less exposure to EMFs
- More time thinking, meditating, better mental health overall
- More present in life and for people around
- More peaceful life
Cons:
- You are difficult to reach, and people will have hard time reaching you when on need
- Your social life may suffer as people consider to be reachable something essential
- Modern life is more and more centered around smartphones and this can make interaction with society unoptimized if you don't use it
I have a Google Voice number that I use for calls/texts from my iPod Touch or iPad. For awhile it worked with my 3G Kindle so I could text on the go without Wi-Fi. Then Amazon turned off the free 3G and I haven’t had cellular internet since.
Really don’t think I’m missing anything significant.
When I'm out, I only have my bank card, driver's license, car key in my pocket. And a bootable USB stick containing all my working environment.
