I lost my phone last week, and decided to take my time looking for a replacement. One that looks promising is expected in August, and perhaps another in September. So what to do in the interim?
I thought it would be interesting to see what life was like without a phone. Just how important is all of my on-the-go communication? Sometimes I feel like that technology makes it easy to fill life with tasks, leaving little time for reflection.
I found that the quality of my conversations improved when I was on a land line. I was in one place, doing one thing and could focus on listening and what I was saying. But it was just too inconvenient to not be able to make calls when out and about. My experiment lasted three days.
Next up was a basic phone – just voice and texting. No web, no e-mail, no apps. So far life without e-mail is okay; I find it more efficient to read it on my laptop anyway, which I am rarely away from for long. I almost never use a mobile web browser, so that was easy to do without. Apps are another story. I find I miss them, but not that much. At times I want GPS navigation, but I also like having to pay a bit more attention or the interaction of asking directions. I probably miss my calendar and contacts the most.
I figure I can make it a few more weeks, and then I’ll be ready for a smartphone fix. I am kind of glad for this experience, though.
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Thanks for bringing to light what has become an incendiary topic in my household. To be connected or unconnected, that is the question. Interestingly enough, we have realized that much like anything else in life personal connectivity (via technology) is not an all or nothing decision. Like a volume knob on a stereo, there are a multitude of settings we can dial-in to based on contextual factors such as:
• time of day
• present company
• present location
• present mood
For instance, between 6 PM and 8 PM I programmed my cell phone to not get e-mail because this is the time I spent with it my son reviewing his homework and getting him ready for bed. When I am at an airport, I only enable personal e-mail to focus on aspects of my life that had nothing to do with work. The idea being I want to be nice and relaxed for a long trip. When I’m overseas it’s just the opposite I am not connected in any way outside of a 90 minute window with friends and family. My productivity includes my iPhone, my iPad and the associated accessories. (I like to think that I’ve evolved and use a virtual instance of my laptop accessible via my iPad.)
So my recommendation for you Roger is to look at devices and technologies that can help you achieve the right amount of connectivity at the right time. Besides, the new iPhone won’t be out for a few months.
-Frank