Turn phone off

The phone is our little window to the big world of news, updates, and entertainment. It really is the most personal device ever. It is very hard to imagine how we could live without it. I suppose the daily average usage of phones grows every year. 

Every company wants us to use their app – banks, messengers, gaming companies, taxis, travel and so on. Practically every single aspect of life is covered by some apps. 

It might seem impossible to turn the phone off. Even a single thought about it made me shiver. What if someone calls me with something important? What if I receive an important email update too late? What if a million dollars arrived in my bank account and I did not know it at the moment? 

Honestly, I bet 9 out of 10 people will agree with me. Which also seems correct. Every time I start to think about living without a phone, all the agruments above instantly come to mind and win. 

But somewhere deep inside of me, I feel that it is not right. There is no real freedom depending on being online or accessible at the moment. I have some responsibilities, but I need some real privileges for myself. 

Since it is certainly impossible to completely get rid of the phone, I started to practice on my day off. I simply left the phone in the car for the evening. Then for a one-day weekend. 

And nothing happens. Really. Anything that has been changed I haven't missed anything important yet. There were a few situations where someone needed something, but all the time it was possible to wait until the next day. 

The reward was incredible. It was quite uncomfortable in the first hours. Kind of feeling like a "ghost phone" in the pocket. But then, I have had nothing to worry about. Just real days off. Real disconnect from the digital world. Time for myself, free of obligations and interruptions.

I would highly recommend trying it. Nothing makes my mind so clearer than one evening without a phone.