So, a couple of weeks ago my iPhone battery died and I had to send it in for repairs, leaving me with a dinky flip phone that did nothing but call — for a whole week. This may sound like living in the stone ages, but it was honestly the best thing that’s ever happened to me (and my writing).
I’d been daydreaming for a looong time about switching back to a super basic phone, not to because I’m trying to be a hipster, but because I’m a compulsive “checker”. In other words, anything I can check, I will check. All the time. I don’t really know why, but it probably has something to do with that whole dopamine thing.
For this reason, I already don’t have any social media other than LinkedIn (for professional reasons). But even so, texting and being able to access email and the internet from anywhere were distracting enough for me that I sometimes found myself spending a few hours a day on my phone between those three things. Not cool, and definitely not good for my writing.
The only reason I hadn’t already switched back to a flip phone was because I get lost easily and having GPS has prevented me from scenarios like ending up in a Walmart parking lot in the middle of nowhere and having to call my relatives an hour away to help me find my way home (true story).
But, with the temporary loss of my iPhone, I was forced to switch back to the flip phone anyway, and here are some things I’ve noticed so far, specifically related to my writing:
I feel more creative
Getting into the creative mindset each day can be tough as it is, but in my experience, it’s even tougher when my mind is being pulled in lots of different directions throughout the day. For me, texting feels almost like a constant, underlying buzz, because even when I don’t have my phone on me, in the back of my mind I know that something new will have probably come in the next time I pick it up. It creates a pull. A draw. A distraction.
Without that buzz, I’ve noticed that I feel way less frazzled and in turn, more creative. Not having my brain constantly “on” and ready for a new piece of information to come in (even if it’s fun!) leaves more room for me to notice and appreciate all the other things around me, like the snow-covered trees on the way to work or the way my dog comes up to me and wags his tail after every meal because he’s so happy about having eaten. I can’t prove it, but to me it feels like giving my brain the chance to be “quiet” in this way and really notice what’s right in front of me breeds ground for more creative thought throughout the day. And, when my writing time comes, I’m able to get into the creative mindset more easily.
I get to my writing quicker
If there are any writers out there who don’t think writing is hard, I’d LOVE to know your secret. But for me personally, writing is tough, and because of that, I’ll almost always find ways to procrastinate. When I still had texting capabilities, checking messages was a great way to put off my writing for something easier instead, because who wants to solve a gnarly plot problem when there’s a stack of messages with little blue dots next to them, just waiting for you to open?
Without having texting or anything else to check on my phone, I’m finding it much harder to procrastinate, because there’s nothing there to do it with (Well, for the most part. There’s always email on my computer, but it’s not nearly as compelling!)
Cutting off options this way might seem a little extreme, but setting a hard limit on distraction choices by making them non-existent has been incredibly help for me. And even though I still find ways, I’ve noticed that I’m getting to the hard work of writing much quicker each day, which in the end makes me so much happier and more satisfied than the instantaneous stuff!
I go to bed and get up earlier
When I still had a phone with texting and internet, I used to spend a lot of time replying to messages in bed and looking up random things online. Harmless things, like “Who was that actor in that movie?” or “How to make baked oatmeal bars”, but still — did I really need to be looking this stuff up in bed at 11pm? Probably not.
I also noticed that I’d formed a habit of checking my text messages first thing in the morning, which seemed like a bit of an unhealthy and already-distracted way to start my day.
But now, without texting and internet at my fingertips, I read for way longer in bed, I go to sleep earlier, I get out of bed much faster in the morning because there’s nothing else to do, and I start my day without feeling frazzled by that “buzz” of new information. Again, I can’t prove it, but it does feel like getting good, structured sleep and starting the morning with a clear head has a cascading effect on the rest of my day, and when the time comes, makes me feel way more ready to write.
I stay focused for longer
Attention span is a hard thing these days. With so many different technologies, feeds, and things to check, we’re constantly being pulled in different directions, which can make it tough to stay focused.
Having a phone with nothing on it, however, has forced me to return to the “old school” way — having specific places where I do each thing rather than having everything available to me all the time. At my computer, I write and check email. In bed, I sleep and read. My car is for driving. When I’m at work I’m at work. Etc.
This has seriously helped my attention span so much, and I’ve noticed that during writing sessions (and in other areas of life), I’m able to stay focused for way longer. Without the pull of constantly having something to check at any time, from anywhere, I’m finding that I stay on task for longer stretches, and when I do take a break, it’s more of a structured, intentional choice.
My breaks are filled with other things
And, speaking of breaks, when I do take them now, they tend to be more thoughtful. Instead of just being pulled into the world of my phone and seeing what happened to come in, I decide what I want to do with my break. Play piano. Play with my dog. Annoy my partner. Read a chapter of a book. Get some cooking done. Take a walk. It’s not that I didn’t do these things before, but it always felt like they were getting cut into by texting, or sometimes even replaced entirely.
Now, it feels more like how I used to spend my time when I was a kid in the 90s — before there were so many options — and I love getting back to that simplicity. Plus, spending my break on more tangible, real-life things that have a beginning and end tends to leave me feeling more filled up and ready to get back to work afterwards — not frazzled.
Conclusion
I did finally get my iPhone back a few days ago, and I was so happy with all the changes mentioned above that I worked hard to find a way to recreate the same limitations on it that I had on the flip phone. Mainly so that I could get GPS back, but also because honestly, the iPhone’s modern tech is just sooo much easier to use than a junky flip phone.
I spent an hour on the phone with the people at Apple Support, who were very nice and tried to help me figure out a way to remove texting and web-surfing capabilities from my phone. As it turns out, neither of these things are technically possible, but the workaround we figured out was to basically put child lock on my phone (it sounds ridiculous, I know, but it totally worked!)
Using the built-in ScreenTime functionality, I created a separate AppleID so I could essentially be my own parent, and used it to put a bunch of content restrictions on my phone so that Safari disappears and I can’t open the texting app. Then I had my partner enter the secret passcode so that even if I wanted to go in and change the settings back, I can’t!
It works brilliantly! I have all the essentials I like having on my phone now (GPS, calling, FaceTime, weather, clock), and none of the things that distract me.
I also feel like I’m just as available as I was before, and to be honest, I’ve found that most things are SO much easier and faster to solve through a phonecall than through a text conversation! Plus, I find that I feel way more connected to people through phonecalls and video chats anyway. I can’t say I miss texting, and I’m also realizing how easy it was for me to hide behind it (because lets be honest — calling can be a little scary/awkward at times!)
I also want to add that all of this is just what works for me personally. I’m definitely not passing judgement on anyone who texts or uses their phone in the ways I’ve mentioned, and I know that in many cases it’s logistically impossible not to (like if you have kids, a job that requires it, etc). It just happens to be what’s working for me to help me meet my goals (especially when it comes to writing) and have a healthier lifestyle/mindset.
Technology will always keep moving forward, but I feel it’s my personal responsibility to assess its role in my life every so often and decide whether or not it’s serving me. And if not? It’s got to go!
