The No-Technology Challenge
For two days, I went without technology. No iPhone, no XBOX, no laptop, no apple watch and no TV; with the reasonable exception for emergencies. The objective of this assignment was to leave my comfort zone and immerse myself in a brand-new experience. I decided to begin this challenge the Monday of spring break. It took place in my apartment and lasted until midnight Tuesday. My personal goal for the assignment was to become more disciplined, instead of giving in to the daily temptations of technology and social media.
My roommates didn’t think I would make it two days, so we decided to place a little wager on it. If I went the full two days without cracking, all three of my roommates would owe me $10 each. If I didn’t last the full two days, I would owe them $10 each. I gathered my electronics and gave them to my roommates.
In the first couple hours of this challenge, I went to the gym then went to play basketball for a couple of hours after that. It was around noon on Monday and I wanted to order food, but I couldn’t. I had to ask one of my roommates to call my girlfriend, Adrianna and have her bring me food. The challenge was already getting to me 12 hours in, but I just had to keep reminding myself that in two days, I would be $30 richer; and in all honesty, that $30 is what kept me motivated to not give in. My professor, Lyn Millner, advised that I force myself to interact with people, so I wasn’t sitting in my room bored the entire time; so, I did just that.
Around 2 p.m. on Monday, I began to socialize with my roommates a little more, trying to keep my mind off technology. Surprisingly enough, I learned more about my roommates in these two days, than I’ve learned since I’ve known them. One of the things I learned was that my roommate Tim has an older brother, when I thought he was the only child. Once I started to socialize more and become more comfortable not having my devices on me, every hour just became easier and easier. As the hours became easier, was trying to think of things that I could do that don’t involve technology. Go to the beach, be active, read more, play the piano, learn how to cook, etc. I decided to focus my time on three of these things, which were go to the beach, play the piano and learn how to cook. I started with the simplest of these things and went to the beach.
Since my girlfriend was in town, she made sure that I didn’t get on my phone while I was there. We were at the beach until the sun went away so it would take up more of my time, so I wouldn’t be at home thinking about my phone. I tossed around a football, attempted to boogie board, built sand castles and tried to catch some waves to keep myself occupied at the beach. But, on my way home, I realized that the beach is no place for cellphones or any technology. I see the beach as a place where you go to escape the cruel realities of the world. The beach is almost a completely different world, separated from the city. As soon as you step foot on the sand, you’re in paradise. Everything from the white sand, the blue water to the distinct smell of the ocean. All these things are what make the beach that place of escape and serenity.
The second day of the challenge, was by far a breeze. I attempted to teach myself the piano, which I learned at a younger age, but just forgot a lot of the basics, such as where certain scales began on the keys and how to properly use and rest my fingers on the keys. I used an old tutorial book that came with my keyboard and successfully taught myself the C scale again. I wouldn’t say I did the best job at teaching myself, but for not picking up the keys for a long time, I think I did well.
I cooked more throughout this challenge. The way to my heart is through food and my girlfriend knows that. Being that she is Italian we decided to make the traditional spaghetti with red sauce, garlic bread and salad on the side. After making this meal, I didn’t realize how simple cooking was. For 20 years I overcomplicated the idea of cooking because I never felt like attempting it, but, it’s ten times easier than I thought it would be. After finishing my meal it was about 9:30 p.m. and to my surprise, the challenge was almost over. As much as I enjoyed trying new things and getting away from social media and technology for a couple days, I was ready to have all of my stuff back.
Let me first start out by saying that if I had to do this while I was in high school, there is no way I would’ve survived the entire two days. This challenge not only helped me with my discipline, but I was so much more productive during the day without checking my phone for or hopping on my XBOX. “Hopefully you won’t be on your phone as much now,” my girlfriend said sarcastically. Either way, I’m $30 richer.
