Summary

The text describes a day in the life of an individual who has chosen to live without smartphones and other screens, highlighting the potential benefits of such a lifestyle.

Abstract

The narrative depicts a person who wakes up without the need to check a smartphone, embracing a day filled with personal interactions, creativity, and mindfulness. This individual experiences a sense of contentment and productivity by avoiding digital distractions, maintaining a healthy self-esteem, and enjoying deeper connections with others. The absence of screens allows for more time to think, create, and engage with the physical world, leading to a fulfilling life without the constant need for digital connectivity.

Opinions

The author suggests that life without a smartphone can lead to increased creativity, as evidenced by the individual's ability to envision and write novel chapters while free from digital interruptions.
It is implied that the lack of screen time contributes to a healthier self-esteem by reducing comparisons to idealized images of influencers on social media.
The text conveys the opinion that a screen-free life can enhance personal relationships, as the individual gives full attention to conversations and maintains a strong connection with their partner.
The narrative posits that living without screens results in a more peaceful and restful life, with the individual falling asleep easily and without the disruption of blue light from devices.
The author questions the necessity of being constantly connected through screens, challenging the idea that one cannot function in the modern world without a phone or laptop.
There is a subtle critique of society's dependence on technology for information and social interaction, with the individual finding alternative ways to learn and socialize.
The text hints at a trade-off, acknowledging that while there are benefits to a screen-free lifestyle, it may also mean missing out on certain work opportunities and staying informed about current events.

Would Your Life Be Better If You Didn’t Own A Smartphone? (No seriously)

A Day In The Life Of Someone Who’s Decided To Live Without Screens

You wake up feeling rested as the sun rises; having slept interrupted all through the night.

As you lie in bed, do you check your smartphone? No.

Why not? Because you don’t have one.

You head to the kitchen, pour yourself a coffee and grab a bowl of cereal.

Do you open up your laptop and watch Youtube while you eat? No, because you don’t own a laptop.

Do you sit in front of the TV and watch the news? No, because you don’t own a television.

You eat your cereal, you sip your coffee and you stare into space and think about the day ahead.

You get dressed, hop in your car and drive to work. Your mind is relatively empty. You’re not aware of news headlines from around the world. You’re not aware of what people are writing on Twitter.

You have a healthy self-esteem because you compare yourself to the people in your physical environment rather than digitally perfected influencers on Instagram and Tiktok. To those in the physical space around you, you feel quite attractive in comparison.

You get stuck in traffic, yet feel no urge to check your smartphone for messages or notifications. After all, you don’t have a smartphone.

You stare at the back of the cars in front of you. You feel somewhat bored. Yet in your boredom, your mind gets to work. Ideas start flashing through your mind. Ideas for the next chapter of the novel you’re working on. The next chapter starts to unfold itself inside your mind.

Of course, having already completed 2 novels previously, this isn’t new to you. Without the distractions of screens, you get things done easily.

You arrive on time at work, as usual. Your boss has long since given up on trying to persuade you to get a smartphone so that they can contact you more easily. You always show up on time and complete your work to a high standard, so they’ve long since accepted that once you leave work, you’re unavailable.

You sit down at your computer; this is the only interaction with screens you have in your daily life — an unavoidable necessity. Of course, you don’t have a Twitter account, a Tiktok account, a Youtube account or a Facebook account. Without the temptations of checking your social media accounts throughout the day, you settle into a state of focus within 15 minutes of arriving at work.

You meet your colleagues for afterwork drinks. Most of them like you — you have a strange sense of presence about you that nobody else seems to have. You make direct eye-contact when someone speaks to you, and you listen to what they say. To them, your eyes seem to gleam and sparkle with interest.

Discussion turns to the latest news. Apparently, there was volcanic eruption on the other side of the world. Apparently, 200 people died. Your colleagues explain what happened — this is the first time you’re hearing of it.

You get home to your partner and immediately have great sex. Since you don’t subconsciously compare them to the perfect digital people on screens, you find them dead attractive. Since you don’t watch pornography, sex with your partner seems like the hottest thing on the planet.

Without a smartphone, nobody is sending you DM’s and nobody is liking and commenting on your photos. Your partner feels secure in the relationship.

After having sex, you walk the dog together with your partner. You walk through the park, enjoying the grass, leaves, trees and the sunlight hitting your face.

You finish eating dinner at 7pm. Here you have plenty of time to get some writing done. You sit down at your desk and start writing the chapter you imagined while waiting in traffic this morning. Without the temptations of obsessive smartphone-checking, within 15 minutes you settle into a nice rhythm.

You’re in the zone. The words run freely from your pen to the paper. You look up and realise an entire hour has passed — you had completely lost track of time.

Tiredness approaches. You get into bed with your partner. You don’t stare at the blue light of your smartphone scrolling social media; you don’t have a smartphone. You fall asleep within 15 minutes, without struggle.

Your friends and family contact you through your house phone. They’ve long since learned that the only way to reach you is by calling you.

You miss out on some parties. You don’t understand when people talk about funny ”memes” they’ve seen. People raise their eyebrow when you tell them you’re not on social media, but you make friends anyway.

When you want to learn about something, you go to the library or the bookstore and bring home a book. You usually read the entire book and gain a deep understanding of the topic you sought to educate yourself about.

You miss some work opportunities, but you’re doing just fine. You don’t know much about cryptocurrency, but your finances are doing just fine. There are people out there living more exciting lives, partying in yachts with attractive people, earning millions, but you’re barely aware that they exist.

The only other people you spend much time thinking about are your friends and family.

Life isn’t easy. There are struggles. You sometimes wish you had more money. But on a day-to-day basis, you’re content.

Screens come with lots of benefits. You’re connected to the world. You have access to information. You have access to opportunities.

But when you use screens there’s no getting around the drawbacks that come with them. Are the benefits worth the inevitable drawbacks?

Come on, don’t be silly, you can’t live in the modern world without a laptop or a phone…

Can’t you? Who says?

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