Outpost Check-In: Going on 2 Months Without a Smartphone!

Around 2 months ago I started this journey of living my life with no smartphone. At first, there were a lot of trials and tribulations. I missed a flight to Las Vegas because I didn't have a smartphone to check-in at the kiosk, which required a smartphone app. If you've been following this NoPhoneBlog, you know there's a list of other barriers I've faced since going no-phone.

However, one interesting point now is that as I get more and more used to having no smartphone, those barriers are becoming less and less. If a company requires me to scan a QR code, guess what I do? I don't go to that company. Or, if I really need to use that company for whatever reason, I find a work-around. Sometimes I'll just straight up tell the employee "I don't have a smartphone", and there's almost always an alternative option. I did this at the DMV to renew my license, which you can read about here.

The short of it is: I'm actually getting used to living without a smartphone. So much so, I actually prefer not having a smartphone now. And I'm not just bullshitting. A few weeks ago I wrote about how I went and bought a new iPhone 17 but almost immediately I regretted this choice. Not because I felt I 'failed', but because I genuinely hated the feeling of having this technological brick in my pocket with the new-founded ability for everyone in my life to suddenly be able to contact me whenever they fuckin' please. It was like the new-found freedom I had discovered by getting rid of the smartphone was suddenly gone ... and that was a shitty feeling.

I guess I haven't wrote a blog entry in awhile because my forearms and elbows are getting tired typing this. Agh, that's weird. You'd think my typing muscles would be in-shape from all the online homework I have to do for my Master's program. Well, last night was Sunday, which is when I usually cram in all my assignments at once, so maybe I'm just a bit sore from that. So, today's check-in is going to be a short one. Relatively.

What I will say is how things are happening that I never thought I'd be able to enjoy without the phone. One of the biggest ones is going out to eat and not needing the phone. I always thought I'd need the smartphone to enjoy a meal from In-N-Out or Chipotle, it was just ritual at that point. I felt it made the food taste better, and the thought of not having my smartphone to browse YouTube or Reddit or read the news was genuinely troubling to me at the start of this. I often though: why get rid of the phone when the phone makes my life so much enjoyable in so many different ways, such as munching with it? Well, turns out that was a load of hogwash. I find myself eating meals and using the magical ability known as imagination. Sometimes I people watch. Other times I just have a nice conversation with my partner. And guess what: It is so, so much better.

I think a big adjustment of going no-phone is understanding it takes time. It will take time to get used to it. It will take time to learn how to navigate the world without a smartphone. But it won't take that long, maybe a month at most. After a month, you'll genuinely start forgetting how it is to have a smartphone. I know I have. It's not even apart of my life anymore, whatsoever. I've figured out lasting workarounds to nearly every barrier and obstacle life has thrown my way for not having a smartphone. And I'm not some hermit living in a hole in Montana, I am a Master's student working in a very technologically-based field. Hell, my entire practice is almost entirely revolving around smartphones and the internet. Yet, here I am thriving. I use Google Voice on my desktop as an alternative so I can stay connected with my supervisor, family, friends, and colleagues. And I prefer that way so much: it keeps work and relationships in my office. When I leave my office, all of that stays there. I love it. I highly recommend it.

Speaking of which, I think it's time to sign off and head out of the office. The day is young, and I have a golf tournament coming up I want to prepare for. Nothing crazy, just having fun. I think that's part of it: re-learning to have fun, again. The age of the internet and smartphone has brought so much comparison in to our lives ... it's hard to even have a hobby anymore without comparing it to literal world greats and professional athletes who make a career out of said hobby. Like, great, Messi can get a hat-trick at the world cup. But you know what? I'm going to go kick my Dollar Tree soccer ball around the park with my friend for an hour and get a really sore leg and go home and have some dinner as a reward. I'm lucky I don't have to train all day, exercise like an Olympian, and center my entire world around the game of soccer (sorry, futbol). In many ways, I feel luckier than Messi. I get to have hobbies.

Also, we hit our 15th follow on this blog which has made the 'Followers' portion of the sidebar (on the left of this website) look nice and squared, so I guess that makes NoPhoneBlog an official blog, now ... right? Thank you to our newest follower, Dee, for joining the movement. To all of you reading at home, I wish you a lovely day, and strength on your journey if you are pursuing a No Phone Lifestyle. You can do it!

Signing off from The Outpost.