If you’re trying to unplug but struggling to live analogue in a digital world, I get you. I tried to live a day without my phone, and it was a challenge. But it is possible! I’m going to walk you through exactly how I did it: the changes I made, the things I had to buy, and how it changed my mood. The day was definitely a bit boring at times, but it also felt very rewarding and peaceful too. No one to text, no emails to reply to, no obligation to be seeing everything, everywhere all at once. I felt very present and it’s a feeling I could get used to. I often think that I could never live without my phone for practical purposes – how would I get from A to B, how would I socialise, or keep in touch with current affairs? But when I made the effort to fill my world with more analogue and physical media, it was doable…. And dare I say – enjoyable!
This article is part of our guide to living unplugged. Check out Sarah’s article here: https://surgemag.org/escaping-my-phone-cara-documents-her-day-unplugged/
8:00
My alarm clock woke me up – not my phone – my alarm clock. Without the tempting glow of my iPhone, I had to quickly jump out of bed and pull back the curtains to help wake me up. The sun in my eyes felt much better than a screen and there was no scrolling, checking messages, or reading the news to distract me from getting up. I quickly made a hearty mug of tea and jam on toast (British breakfast essentials) then tucked back into bed to read for a while. I delved into my current book of choice: Frequently Happy, by David Larbi, getting through more pages in one sitting than I have in months.
8:30
My mind felt calm and peaceful, instead of how I usually am at this time: prying myself off of reels and rushing to get ready. Instead, I leisurely got up and turned on my radio, Greg James’ Breakfast Show keeping me company as I got dressed for the day – a time when I usually play music or put some Netflix on. The news highlights came on and I will say, I found it harder to take in what they were saying compared to reading it, but I’m sure this is something my brain could get used to with practice. It was nice to hear physical voices delivering today’s plate of doomsday pie. It felt more reassuring than commiserating over the headlines on my own.
9:00
Once I was ready for the day I sat down at my desk and opened my calendar to take a look at my to-do list. As someone who’s been using the online calendar Notion for years now, it’s been really nice to switch this practice onto pen and paper. My partner treated me to a lovely Papier 2026 diary adorned with pretty little cherries that makes me actually excited to open my calendar. I can be more free and visual with my thoughts, colour coordinating and drawing little doodles next to tasks that maybe need a bit more motivation. It’s so much nicer to use a physical notebook rather than my laptop – I felt like modern day Bridget Jones (but without the fatphobia).
9:15-12:00
I spent the next few hours doing chores around the house. Without digital media these moments are the hardest – you can’t read or draw or write to keep yourself occupied, so when I would usually put on some comfort show in the background, I just had to sit with my thoughts. However, after a while I eased into it and actually found it quite meditative. Cleaning or cooking in silence gives you time to calm down and think, something past me would’ve hated.
12:00-14:00
After lunch I tried to do some writing for class but boy was it hard. My hands are not used to pen and paper, so I was cramping up every ten minutes. Also, my brain was going far faster than I could write, which is probably where typing comes in handy. The worst part of it all, however, was not having auto-correct – oh the horrors! I had this awful realization that I have lost all literacy skills and am feeling incredibly grateful for writing this article on a keyboard. Oterrwise it wood probably lool liker thiis.
14:00-16:00
At this point of the day, I set out into the big bad world, phoneless. I was meant to meet a friend at 14:30 for coffee (which I had preplanned a few days early, but lets pretend that’s not cheating) but I missed my bus because I couldn’t check my app. I was therefore very late and had no means to text her to say so. Luckily I had briefed her on my anaologue day and so she was very understanding. Walking there without music was an interesting experience. I suddenly felt very aware of everything around me, and a little self conscious of how my arms were moving and how loud my feet scuffed on the pavement (very). As the rain drizzled down I realised how absorbed I usually am in my own little world. It was nice to be present on this walk – listening to the birds and people walking past brought me into space, instead of taking me away from it.
17:00
I greeted my girlfriend at home, and having spent the whole day practically long-distance (no, I’m not dramatic), we had much to catch up on. Instead of having already told each other everything about our days over Whatsapp, we got to get each other’s raw reactions to our stories of their annoying boss at work and my bus fiasco. We both agreed that we would try to do this more. It made us feel more connected.
18:00-22:00
With no TV to watch, we ate dinner and played some boardgames. They won at Yhatzee by a 50 point landslide (much to my dismay) so they got to pick which record we played: DogEared by Billie Marten. We got into bed after a round of Monopoly Deal and read until it was time to switch off… our lights, not our phones.
Find out what our writer Sarah suggests for activities to do without your phone here: https://surgemag.org/escaping-my-phone-cara-documents-her-day-unplugged/
