A day without cell phone — how i survived without this seemingly indispensable device
Aug 8 2017 started on a horrid note for me. I forgot my phone in the bathroom. My beloved Samsung S7 (not Edge).

There. I said it. You can berate me all you want, but I had my reasons!
Now, I am an addict of Gardenscape and had been playing a rather tough level since my morning teatime. The duel continued to my everyday bathroom regime. Unfortunately, while I successfully cracked the level, I left my beloved device on the cloth pegs behind the door. And that’s where it stayed until I frantically called my mother-in-law, using my spouse’s phone during our commute.
And there began the trials and tribulations.
In 2017, being without a phone is akin to being without the right hand.
I intend no disrespect to amputees.
Without my phone, I:
- Was able to put a stop to my habit of frequently checking FB updates
- Didn’t check the work mail notifications and Microsoft Teams alerts on my desktop and phone, because hey, my right eye and hand start to twitch when I see the tiny blue light blinking on my device, even though I have seen the same dang thing on the big screen
- Didn’t indulge in looking up and shopping for makeup stuff I didn’t really need, during lunch break
- Was unable to call my mother and inform her that our evening call wouldn’t go through. We are very particular about that call. I did use Web WhatsApp and Gmail to tell her why though. Yay for tech-loving moms!
- Couldn’t book a cab to go home in the evening. Nor could I call my husband to pick me from the bus stop
But I did achieve one thing, Productivity
I could focus more on my work, once the heady distraction that my phone offered me was taken away. No unnecessary WhatsApp messages to check, no boring texts from companies spamming by inbox, and no impulse shopping.
I got more work done when compared to any other day.
I paid more attention to my surroundings instead of being attached to my phone.
Also, I burned calories since I had to take the bus and walked to and from the bus stops.
One main thing I noticed — Lack of Public Call Booths, Payphones

I was able to locate a grand total of one payphone during my walk from bus stop to home. The prevalence of mobile phones has eradicated the need to have these payphones and the PCO/STD booths that once dotted the landscape a few years ago. In fact, the Indian government had launched a program to provide the disabled a livelihood by setting up such booths.
But yesterday, there were 5–6 mobile showrooms, umpteen Telecom service operator franchises, but not one PCO. What a massive change! I wonder what happened to all those booths and the disabled who previously benefited from this screen.
When I came back home, I saw my notifications drawer bombarded with alerts, that I didn’t really require to function. Media constantly dumps us with news and notifications we do not need.
Yesterday was my mini detox. I am thinking of going cell phone less at least once a week and see how that affects my productivity.
Perhaps it might soar?
