I’ve done this periodically over the last few years. Apart from missing music and white noise (which is easily replaced with a pocket radio or MP3), I considered it a positive experience. My most important takeaway was that my phone is one of if not the main field of training for my executive functioning skills. The way I use my phone (i.e. “scrolling” versus “intentional” behaviors) shapes how I approach all of my daily tasks, from studying to shopping to laundry. It’s not much of a revelation, of course—I use my phone so often throughout the day that it would be shocking if it didn’t have a serious effect on my brain, especially considering how “trainable” the actions involved are. But actually experiencing a broad increase in control over my behaviors while detoxing proved to me the significance of what I was sacrificing. I wasn’t just wasting time on my phone. I wasreducing control over all my actions. What a terrifying thought!
That said, I dostill use a smartphone—I have the sense of direction that nature might’ve designed for a particularly sluggish bush. I need Google Maps. Plus, my approach to phone use has evolved in a more useful way. I look at it as a form of daily brain training, or an opportunity to practice mindfulness and intentional behaviors. I’ve generally found that it’s better to focus on reforming bad behaviors, rather than just avoiding their near occasion. I still detox every once in a while, but I don’t want to become a techno ascetic. I want to be in control of my mind regardless of context, capable of using all the tools at my disposal in a healthy, sane way.
I’ve done this periodically over the last few years. Apart from missing music and white noise (which is easily replaced with a pocket radio or MP3), I considered it a positive experience. My most important takeaway was that my phone is one of if not the main field of training for my executive functioning skills. The way I use my phone (i.e. “scrolling” versus “intentional” behaviors) shapes how I approach all of my daily tasks, from studying to shopping to laundry. It’s not much of a revelation, of course—I use my phone so often throughout the day that it would be shocking if it didn’t have a serious effect on my brain, especially considering how “trainable” the actions involved are. But actually experiencing a broad increase in control over my behaviors while detoxing proved to me the significance of what I was sacrificing. I wasn’t just wasting time on my phone. I was reducing control over all my actions. What a terrifying thought!
That said, I do still use a smartphone—I have the sense of direction that nature might’ve designed for a particularly sluggish bush. I need Google Maps. Plus, my approach to phone use has evolved in a more useful way. I look at it as a form of daily brain training, or an opportunity to practice mindfulness and intentional behaviors. I’ve generally found that it’s better to focus on reforming bad behaviors, rather than just avoiding their near occasion. I still detox every once in a while, but I don’t want to become a techno ascetic. I want to be in control of my mind regardless of context, capable of using all the tools at my disposal in a healthy, sane way.