If you keep pulling to refresh you’ll go blind

Or why I deleted most of the apps from my phone

First, I have to credit the title — it’s from a speech that Chris Clark (@Clarko), then a product designer at Square, now a product designer a Fitbit, gave at a Designers + Geeks session back in 2011. 2011. Can’t believe I can remember that far back, but for some reason the talk really stuck with me — including the title, which describes my unfortunate relationship with apps that refresh with new content almost every time I swipe down.

I’m having one of those “seasons of change” moments in my life. No, it’s not menopause, yet. Rather, the patterns/habits/obsessions in my life are not working very well for me anymore, so it’s time to change them. One of my signature moves is the ‘pull-out-the-phone-anytime-I’m-walking’ and the ‘use-my-phone-as-an-excuse-to-not-talk-to-anyone’. You’ll probably recognize those moves in the vast majority of the population of San Francisco. I’ve even hit a pole face-first while walking down the sidewalk, eyes glued to my phone.

What am I doing on my phone? I’m pulling to refresh all of my apps, constantly. I’m checking Facebook. I’m reading Twitter. I’m also usually reading and/or answering work email, or group texting friends, or trying to take a picture — whatever will distract me from the moment. It’s very rare that these tasks are urgent and really require me to attend to them while I’m walking down the street.

I’m not going to get philosophical about the reasons some people choose to engage with their phones rather than the world around them. I like the world around me. I want to engage with it, but I’m deeply attached to my phone. First I went on a vacation that was mostly off the grid — no wifi or cell service where I was staying. That started the break. Then I realized pretty quickly that I needed to remove all of the superfluous apps on my phone, which is how I ended up with the setup I have today:

Ok, so clearly I did not get rid of all apps that pull to refresh. I kept the basic functions of the device intact — phone, direct message, email, calendar, photo, music, location, plus a few additional apps that are really useful to me in my daily life and that I can’t functionally use elsewhere. My criteria for those additional apps was 1) must be in near-daily use and 2) must not be easy or possible to use off the phone.

Of my discretionary apps, here’s the individual rationale:

Flywheel — can be helpful to have a backup transportation app, I use car services frequently around San Francisco

Airbnb — this one was almost off the phone, but I’m trying to rent out my place more frequently when I travel, and I want to be able to respond immediately through the app when someone sends a booking inquiry.

Lyft — I recently (ok, 2 days ago) decided to adopt Lyft as my main transportation method when I’m not able to walk somewhere, like in the evenings. Previously it was Uber. Here’s why.

Instagram — this one is really breaking the rules. I should, by rights, get rid of Instagram as well. But I like photos!

Snapchat — pretty superfluous as well, but I guess it counts as a direct messaging app. Most likely candidate for eventual deletion as well. Talk about not supporting apps with questionable founders…

Phone — yes. Sometimes I call people.

Google Maps — also very self-explanatory, but I’ll add that I most often use Google Maps for business phone numbers and opening hours.

Sprig — this is how I feed myself when it’s getting late and I haven’t figured out lunch or dinner. I don’t always like what they’re serving (3 different dishes for each meal), but I know it’s reasonably healthy and that a hot meal will be at my door within 15 minutes, for $12. Sprig is the ultimate San Francisco luxury. It’s app-only, so it stays.

Evernote — Repository for notes. Allows me to take notes if I need to.

Starbucks — eww! You still drink Starbucks? Yes. I do. Because it’s everywhere, and they have the best payment app ever.

Spotify — music. Key function of phone device.

Pay By Phone — sometimes, I have to park in San Francisco, and when I do I often use this app, which tacks on a hefty processing fee. It’s not ideal, but it’s convenient.

Messenger — also a prime target for deletion. Sometimes I do get Facebook messages that I’m interested in responding to — but rarely.

Google search — again self-explanatory — this is for winning bets and in general, fact-checking.

Mail — this is connected to my company’s Exchange server. Someday, I won’t need this…

Mailbox — …when Mailbox finally starts to support Exchange. Mailbox is, in my opinion, the best mail client. I use it for Gmail.

Messages — frequent. I prefer text as a form of communication, in spite of its flaws.

Sunrise — I just started using Sunrise for calendars across Exchange and Gmail — so far so good.

And that’s basically it. There is a second page, certainly, because Apple doesn’t allow you to delete the system-installed apps, but I’ve just collected them into a folder and don’t look at them. I also have a bank app, but I took that off for this screenshot because I got paranoid. The bank app allows me to deposit checks, which I unfortunately still get.

I deleted 50+ apps ranging from Facebook, Circa (great news app), airline-specific apps, shopping apps and more. I even deleted Twitter, and I love Twitter. Now, if I pick up my phone, it’s most likely because I received a message that I want to read. There’s not much else for me to do, very little time-wasting content, and very little to pull to refresh.

It hasn’t been easy or comfortable so far. I still grab for my phone automatically all the time. I find myself seeking to avoid small talk while waiting in line, to signal that I’m “busy” or simply have something better to do. I don’t. I’m not. This is uncomfortable, at least at first — to be fully present in these day to day situations, when I’ve been using my phone as a crutch for so long.

This is in many ways an experiment — will I meet more people? Have more friendly conversations with strangers? Notice more beauty in the world? Be in a better mood on a daily basis? My greatest hope is that the extra brain/attention capacity will allow more creative expression, such as writing. In many ways, I don’t know what I’m capable of because I’ve been willingly distracting myself for so long.

Edit: Just saw this piece, “My year with a distraction-free iPhone (and how to start your own experiment)” in the Medium Daily Digest — coincidental timing on writing my own post, but it appears that more people are beginning to be concerned with the effect their phones are having on attention and wellbeing. The author, Jake Knapp, began his first experiment with removing almost all apps from his phone in 2012, and has continued to keep his phone free of most distractions.