The phone is now an extension of the self. It’s hard to just leave it without becoming an anxious mess. The only way I was able to break that addiction was when I bought a new Google Pixel that had a battery defect that forced it to drain itself each day. I got so used to the phone doing this that at a certain point I just carried around a dead phone. After awhile enough, I just left the phone at home.
Soon much of my life started to feel more full. I’d get lost in a big city like Montreal and have to ask for directions in a language I don’t know. I’d lose touch with coworkers who wanted to go out at night and I’d randomly stumble into them. So much serendipity happens because I didn’t have my phone. Although I only have anecdotes of my experience, I think Nick Carr talks about these challenges in depth with his book “The Shallows”.
Soon much of my life started to feel more full. I’d get lost in a big city like Montreal and have to ask for directions in a language I don’t know. I’d lose touch with coworkers who wanted to go out at night and I’d randomly stumble into them. So much serendipity happens because I didn’t have my phone. Although I only have anecdotes of my experience, I think Nick Carr talks about these challenges in depth with his book “The Shallows”.