First week without phone: new perspectives

Hello! I’m Martina. Today the first week of the challenge “use the telephone one hour a day” has ended. Every day I collected reflections on my challenge, both positive and negative. The balance is interesting: it was a way of looking at things from a new perspective despite several failures.

THE CHOICE

I put myself into this challenge because it’s very difficult for me to get away from my phone. Not having moved to Milan and traveling more than 4 hours a day, the telephone is my train pastime. In the past three years, this has always led me to use it the most: I have always my phone with me and when I don’t use it for a while I miss it. Even before this challenge I thought that feeling the lack towards the phone was something absurd. So I took the opportunity and tested myself to try to “recover” from this addiction.

DAY 1

It’s Sunday night, and the first day without abusing the phone ha passed. It was quite simple: I worked in the morning, so I couldn’t use it. I only chatted with my friends for half an hour to agree on when to see us and then I’ve been out for all the afternoon. I touched the hour of use by chatting with my group mates about the development of our research. I thought it would be more difficult.

HOURS OF USE: 1

DAY 2

8.20 am in the morning. I admit, I’m getting nervous. I hate traveling, and without having the phone that distracts me, Milano Bovisa stop seems to never arrive. I made a mistake, I didn’t search for any alternative. I don’t have books to read, I don’t have jobs to do on the computer, strangely, because the lessons have just begun. I started to observe people, but I don’t think I have a very friendly expression in doing it while I’m quite nervous.

The goal I set myself is to use the telephone up to an hour a day so I’ve to keep it for the evening when I need it to chat with my group mates for the various jobs that have to be done. Because the phone isn’t just entertainment: it’s also a way for me to communicate continuously with the project team. I don’t know how many groups on WhatsApp I’ve collected over these years of projects. Poor iPhone.

HOURS OF USE: 1.35 (I admit, the first day was a bit of a failure. In the evening, while returning by train, I could not resist and used the phone for the whole trip).

DAY 3

Today I’ve equipped myself. I brought a book to read that distracted me from the train journey, and it’s working.

I also managed to not use the phone in the evening before going to sleep. They say it’s a bad habit and it’s not good for sleep quality either, but I’ve always done it. Actually, I didn’t use it for something useful, I just looked on Instagram what people did and watched some videos on YouTube.

HOURS OF USE: 1.10

DAY 4

I slept an hour longer than the other days. This is because once in the bed, I was not in front of the phone. I admit, this is a good thing. On the contrary, my backpack weighs slightly more because of the book. Despite this, I’m beginning to appreciate this challenge: it’s not very easy for me to use the telephone so little, but I notice that by not using it I have given space to some other activities.

HOURS OF USE: 1.25

DAY 5

Yesterday I started very well, I read on the train both on the way to and on the way back, but in the evening I’ve been on the phone for 40 minutes with a friend and so this ruined my goal.

Today I forgot the book at home, but I have some work to do on the PC so I’m busy anyway. I discovered another difference: this challenge is leading me to focus a little more. If before, while I was working on the PC, sometimes I put a look at the WhatsApp notifications (which then led me also to look at Instagram and lose more time). So this challenge allows me to work without too many interruptions.

HOURS OF USE: 1

DAY 6

Today great satisfaction. I had a full-time day at University so I didn’t even watch the time on the phone. I have a birthday party tonight, it will not be difficult to avoid using the telephone.

HOURS OF USE: 0.5

DAY 7

Saturday morning. The train is one hour late, so I have to spend two and an half hours on the train. I open Instagram. Fatal error, I used the phone for an hour and a half only during the trip. Tonight I feel a little guilty, so I avoid using it too much, but I need it because I have to chat with the project team.

HOURS OF USE: 2