On/Off (2/2)
For my on/off experiment, I decided to turn off the device I use the most: my phone. I turned my iPhone off at 9 am last Friday morning and left it off until 9 pm - 12 hours later. I was still using my computer to do work throughout the day, but besides email for school purposes, I wasn't checking messages or any form of social media.
My phone is almost always by my side or in my hand when I'm not in class, so it was weird to not have it next to me even while I was doing homework. I also realized I had to find ways around some of the basic functions I normally use on my phone. When I did laundry in the morning, I had to set a timer on my oven. During times when I would normally use my phone to play music, I settled for silence instead. I also went out to run some errands, and I was much more aware when I was sitting on the subway of everyone around me using their phones while I stared at the advertisements above the windows. I also don't wear a watch and normally rely on my phone for the time, so it was weird not knowing what time it was while I was out. That also felt sort of freeing because I knew I didn't have any commitments for the day and was forced to not worry about what time it was or rushing to get anywhere.
As the day went on, I got more and more anxious about not having my phone to look at. I had left a few conversations with friends unanswered, so I started to think about how many messages and other notifications I would have once I turned my phone back on. I even wondered what would happen if there was some sort of family emergency and no one could get in touch with me. While I was working at the library, I kept wishing I could go on my phone or check social media as a break from work - which I normally do pretty often when my phone is next to me. At the same time, I also stayed pretty productive since I didn't have anything to distract me.
The last half hour before I could turn my phone back on made me very anxious and eager. I felt pretty ridiculous watching the time on my laptop in the final minutes, and reaching for my phone again felt like a dramatic event. When my phone had finally powered on again, it became anti-climactic pretty quickly again. I checked all my messages and social media as I normally would after a long class or when I wake up in the morning. But even now as I'm typing this in my bedroom, my phone is in the other room on the kitchen table and it feels completely normal.
My phone is almost always by my side or in my hand when I'm not in class, so it was weird to not have it next to me even while I was doing homework. I also realized I had to find ways around some of the basic functions I normally use on my phone. When I did laundry in the morning, I had to set a timer on my oven. During times when I would normally use my phone to play music, I settled for silence instead. I also went out to run some errands, and I was much more aware when I was sitting on the subway of everyone around me using their phones while I stared at the advertisements above the windows. I also don't wear a watch and normally rely on my phone for the time, so it was weird not knowing what time it was while I was out. That also felt sort of freeing because I knew I didn't have any commitments for the day and was forced to not worry about what time it was or rushing to get anywhere.
As the day went on, I got more and more anxious about not having my phone to look at. I had left a few conversations with friends unanswered, so I started to think about how many messages and other notifications I would have once I turned my phone back on. I even wondered what would happen if there was some sort of family emergency and no one could get in touch with me. While I was working at the library, I kept wishing I could go on my phone or check social media as a break from work - which I normally do pretty often when my phone is next to me. At the same time, I also stayed pretty productive since I didn't have anything to distract me.
The last half hour before I could turn my phone back on made me very anxious and eager. I felt pretty ridiculous watching the time on my laptop in the final minutes, and reaching for my phone again felt like a dramatic event. When my phone had finally powered on again, it became anti-climactic pretty quickly again. I checked all my messages and social media as I normally would after a long class or when I wake up in the morning. But even now as I'm typing this in my bedroom, my phone is in the other room on the kitchen table and it feels completely normal.
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