It has been 10 days today that I haven’t been using a smartphone. I was using HTC Desire 816 and out of the blue a day, the power button got stuck in and stayed embedded forever. Gave it to a service center for repair which said that it should probably be 4–5 working days and I was like — whaaaatttt…that’s too much to stay without a smartphone but consoled myself and here I’m after 10 days still ringing them to figure out the progress.

Nevertheless I started using a basic Nokia phone meanwhile as didn't want to buy a new one. There were a lot of changes I experienced in my routine post that and couldn't resist to pen them down.

Morning Buzz is no longer the same…

Get up early morning and hit the gym. You still have people around texting while jogging on the treadmill or while cycling. So what changed — You don’t have an option (like them) and it is an amazing feel to ONLY exercise without any disturbances.

Noted and made it a habit! I think now I can burn more calories in lesser time now.

You never get late to work…

Time to go to work. There is no ‘Google Now’ telling you the estimated time left to reach workplace, so you rely on your watch and instincts and actually you’re ready faster and earlier than you used to be before. Never be late now.

No distractions at workplace become in itself a distraction..

Reached the workplace. Don’t find a notification ringing in your pocket? Remember there is no device to remind you now. No Calendar sync to check the routines of the day so you use your laptop to see the reminders and tasks. No email pop ups every few minutes to distract you so you fix up times to check it on the laptop, ending up being more organized and productive.

You use tasks and schedulers, sticky notes, wunderlist on your laptop rather than using it on your phone. I know it doesn't make your life any easy but definitely makes you more attentive to things because you need to note them in one shot.

Missing Whatsapp, Snapchat and the endless group messages…?

You leave workplace and come back home. There is no distraction from apps like Whatsapp, Instagram, no Facebook notifications, no tweets (you don’t spend time thinking on the correct hashtags you want to attach to the selfie you posted with a temple in the background), youtube videos don’t look that attractive to you on the laptop, and no check ins (FourSquare), etc. You switch on your laptop once, browse internet a little, get bored and shut it down and then you realize you still have ample time left before you go to bed.

You become more productive…Come on — don’t deny that!

Now you start to read books, you start to write stuff you've been procrastinating from ever (like this article), you start reflecting a lot and you realize you've actually become more productive by saving 60–90 mins a day staying away from your smartphone.

You avoid selfies, you avoid checking what your friend just posted on Instagram and a lot of other unnecessary stuff and how can I not mention about the umpteen number of games installed on your phones and the time saved there and most importantly you sleep as soon as you lie down on the bed. You easily save 15–20 mins there.

Ever lived or experienced a vacation without smartphone? Isn't that lovely? This is a must have experience as well. Who knows it might change a few significant elements of your life…

Note: Well I’m a smartphone addict and I definitely love the ease it has provided to our routine and our lives and in no way I’m criticizing its usage, not to forget the productivity apps that have continuously been helping us improve day by day, bit by bit. I wrote this just to cite the change I experienced in a matter of 10 days. Smartphones are a part of our lives but drawing a line to the addiction is a must.
P.S. Now, I’m getting curious thinking the endless number of messages by ‘n’ number of contacts which are still lying unanswered on my WhatsApp ☺