A Day Without My Phone
Lebendige Schulgemeinschaft SIS Zürich
I decided to try this experiment because phones play a big role in our lives. Most of us check our phones many times a day without even realising it. Whether it’s messages, social media, music, videos, or games, there is always something that catches our attention. Let’s say I was curious to see what would happen if I just left my phone behind for a whole day. Spoiler alert: it wasn’t as dramatic as I expected.
In the morning, it felt a bit strange. Normally the first thing I do is check my phone for messages or social media to see if there is anything new or if I missed anything. Without my phone, the morning was quieter and felt emptier. I actually had more time to prepare for school and eat breakfast.
Some of my friends were surprised when I told them about the experiment, and a few of them said they would never be able to spend a whole day without their phones. Others were curious and asked me how it was going. During the day I noticed something interesting: I talked more with my friends and felt more energised, even though that might have just been me trying to forget the fact that I can’t use my phone. During breaks, I would draw stuff I saw in front of me such as my friends or the landscape. Essentially, this meant I had time to work on my hobby.
Another thing I noticed was how often people around me were using their phones. On the bus, in the hallway and even during breaks, many students were looking down at their screens. To be honest, I would probably be doing the same thing. Without my phone, I paid more attention to what was happening around me. I noticed small things I usually ignore, like conversations, sounds and details in the environment. It made me realise how much of the world we sometimes miss when we are focused on our screens.
Of course, it wasn’t always smooth sailing. Sometimes I automatically reached for my pocket wanting to show my friends something or just wanting to go online for no reason, even though my phone wasn’t there. It showed me that I had a big habit of checking my phone for no reason at all.
At the end of the day, I realised that maybe we don’t need to give up our phones completely, but this experiment showed me that taking a short break is sometimes needed. Overall, the experiment was interesting and taught me something about my own habits. I would recommend that others try it too.
This article is taken from the latest issue of emphaSIS, “Logging Out. Stepping Outside.”