Jeremy C Kester

I did something this week that is almost insane by modern standards.

I downgraded my phone.

That is right, I discarded my smartphone in favor of an old flip phone. I am dumping my data plan as well, saving a good chunk of change from my cell phone bill. But the money was only a small part of it. I had a wider plan in mind: unplugging.

I have been hearing a lot of how some people have been taking this route, dumping the smart phone in favor of the flip phone. At first it didn’t seem like it would be something for me, but then as I thought about it more, it seemed like a good move. It meant no Instagram, no Facebook, and no access to apps or google maps or much else while out and about.

But do I really need any of that?

And if I did, is it worth the $30+ a month we’re spending for it?

In truth, no. I don’t need any of it, although it is often very useful. But for every use, I was seeing things about having a smart phone that were holding me back. I tried leaving my phone, but even still, it continued to beckon me. Check Facebook! Check Instagram! Have you seen your latest email?

Then, after reading this article on how even having a smartphone nearby alters our thinking, I really dove into the idea that I needed to get rid of my phone. I needed to downgrade.

The very first thing I noticed? I could carry the phone around and ignore the impulse to check it. It wasn’t fool-proof, but it was dramatically reduced over having a smart phone.

Now, as it sits next to me, I don’t think about it (of course I am thinking about it now as I am actually writing about it, but c’mon, cut me some slack).

What I am trying to do (besides not throw money away to the corporate greed-hounds) is to begin to reduce the amount of distractions that I am subject to each day. Sure, I could build up some mental strength in order to move past it, but it is still there. Reading the article I linked above, you can see that. In any moment of weakness, it is far easier to fall back on distraction than it is to not.

An even better method then strengthening my mind? Remove the possibility of distractions altogether.

It is helping, although where I would be diving into my phone, I am just fidgeting with other things. It’s been only one day so far, but it is progress.

It’s been these continuing de-cluttering, de-distractifying my life that has helped push me even higher in my goals. Forward progress must be pushed for!