24 hours, no smartphone – here’s what happened

by Jess O’Connor

What I learned from switching off my smartphone for 24 hours.

I thought it was going to be easy.

24 hours, no smartphone. No big deal – or so I thought.

When Mentemia first challenged me to give up my smartphone for 24 hours and write about the experience, I jumped at the chance.

I imagined 24 hours of ‘me time’. Chilling in nature, reading books, disconnecting from the world. (My imagination clearly forgot to factor in my toddler!)

My intentions were good. In my mind, no smartphone = relaxation.

Here’s what really happened.

First, I procrastinated.

I could choose any 24-hour period to go smartphone-free. So, of course, I procrastinated. I put off the challenge for weeks before I finally committed.

Learning: Clearly, my subconscious was resisting the idea of switching off my smartphone. I was looking for any excuse to delay the challenge. Smartphone 1, Jess 0.

Then, I chose a time that suited me.

Eventually, I chose to switch my smartphone off at 4 pm on a Saturday. Why that time? Because I had dinner plans that night and breakfast plans the next day – plenty of social interaction to keep me occupied.

Learning: Although I liked the idea of ‘me time’, when faced with the reality, I wanted to surround myself with friends and family. I didn’t like the idea of being alone without a phone. Another red flag for how much I’ve come to rely on being constantly connected. Smartphone 2, Jess 0.

Once, I used my husband’s phone.

It was the night of the first All Blacks World Cup match, against South Africa. We were watching the game on Spark Sport, and the internet was glitching. I desperately wanted to Google the problem to see if there was any news coverage. My husband was fast asleep by this point, but his phone was staring at me from the coffee table. I couldn’t resist! I typed in his passcode and immediately felt tethered to the wider world.

Learning: I use my smartphone for so much more than staying in touch with people – it’s also my window to the world. I’ve become reliant on having information at my fingertips and expecting news to be instant. I knew journalists would be covering the Spark Sport outage and I didn’t want to wait until tomorrow to find out the results! Smartphone 3, Jess 0.

Mostly, I enjoyed the break.

Despite procrastinating the challenge, trying to choose the ‘perfect time’ to complete it, and then using my husband’s phone for a quick Google search, for the most part, I enjoyed switching off. It was nice to enjoy face-to-face time with people I love without constantly reaching for my phone or tapping in and out of virtual conversations.

Lesson: I felt free and present in the moment. Most importantly, I remembered what life used to be like. Smartphone 3, Jess 1.