I wish I could say I chose to be unplugged from my phone, but that would simply not be true. Last Saturday afternoon, my phone suddenly died, shut off and never turned on again. After stress ran its course, and I finally accepted that I wouldn’t have a phone for a couple days, I began to understand what this really means—I’m unplugged.
No more mindless scrolling, mass Snapchatting or wasting hours on Yik Yak. I had my computer to check the weather, a watch for the time and an alarm clock to wake up in the morning. Although it would be a serious inconvenience to rely on others for a phone, and I would struggle to stay in contact with friends, I couldn’t ignore the benefits.
My productivity levels were much higher than normal; I was able to focus on my work without distractions. I had little excuse to procrastinate without a phone to keep me busy. Instead of struggling to finish my work until the last minute, I was finally able to get ahead. I finished my work for half the week by Sunday and felt beyond successful!
Not only was I ahead of my work, I was forced to live in the moment, no longer looking at a screen when I was with my friends. I spent more time outside and, although cliché, I finally stopped to smell the roses. My friends and I hung out without the distractions of social media, we ate dinner together, went on walks and more. Being unplugged encouraged my friends to put their phones away when we were together.
When I finally got a phone again, 48 hours later, I had regained an appreciation for being unplugged and have since decided to spend less time on my screen. No need to waste hours on end on Tik Tok when I could spend time with friends in Harris or text friends when I could see them in person. In this day and age, phones are necessary to keep us in touch and safe, but that doesn’t mean we should ignore the connections we can have face to face.