I could do it, but seeing that I don't excessively use my [iPhone] and the fact that I need a phone ... I'm not going to waste my time.
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Putting you iphone away for a week
- Thread starter ikeer
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I did this because I thought I was too connected. No one thought i would last (including myself). Now I have a $10 a month prepaid phone plan and a ****** LG phone for emergencies. I only turn on my cell when I need to place a call.
I am much happier now. Sometimes the convenience of the iPhone would be nice, but I've survived 9 months without my 3GS and I'll continue to survive without it.
No one thinks they could survive, and they always find reasons why they can't live without it, but almost all people can (maybe not salespeople).
NB: I have a landline.
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So condescending.
I am much happier now. Sometimes the convenience of the iPhone would be nice, but I've survived 9 months without my 3GS and I'll continue to survive without it.
No one thinks they could survive, and they always find reasons why they can't live without it, but almost all people can (maybe not salespeople).
NB: I have a landline.
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So condescending.
Reminds me of one of my favorite lines from The Paradox of our Time
"We build more computers, to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but have less communication."
"We build more computers, to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but have less communication."
Actually, those of us who really do have real work to do (and I doubt you really fall in that category) have multiple ways of getting that work done. The smartphone makes that work convenient; ditching the smartphone is an inconvenience but shouldn't make it impossible. So, we can take "vacations" from the gadgets, but it's not a true vacation. The workload is the same, just has to be done differently.
I went for a week and a half without my iPhone, back in 2010. Not by choice though. Someone made off with my 3GS after I left it at a store while paying for something (probably one of the store staff), on the same day that the iPhone 4 was first announced. Luckily I managed to pre-order a 4, but that left me without a phone for about 9-10 days, total. So during that time I had no mobile device (no iPad at the time), and had to rely on landline phones and Skype on my laptop for voice calls.
It was also probably the worst possible time to not have my phone: my significant other was out of town to deal with family issues for a good while and we kept in contact by phone and text. AND I had a trip planned where I needed to be in touch.
What I found was:
- I was definitely dependent on my iPhone to get answers and know about things and be in touch, all of the time. But, being without it for that time wasn't the end of the world, either. There was an initial period where things were confusing and people I needed to talk to had to get word that I was gonna be without a cell phone for a while, but that smoothed out relatively quickly.
- At the same time: I wasn't any less stressed. Yeah, I was freaked out and angry that someone swiped my old phone (both at myself for being dumb and leaving it, and at the person who took it straight home and wiped it, rather than even trying to find the owner who was offering a reward via Find My iPhone messages), but after a day when I got over it, and moved on, I still had to do things, and I found other ways to do them. Between Skype and my laptop, I managed to get what I needed done without too much fuss. I just wasn't as quick about it.
Probably a few years back, I would've either been really antsy the whole time, or just had little to do without my smartphone. But that's because I was at that stage of my life where the gadgets were everything. Now, not so much.
What benefit someone gets from going without a phone for a week depends on what they were doing with it to begin with. No doubt, some people make work for themselves with their smartphones, and these are the people who I think will be less stressed if forced to make do without. But then there are those of us with plenty to do, gadget or no gadget. And the smartphone we have is just another tool to get it done. Those people aren't going to benefit: those tasks still need to be done, and you just need to find another way to make them happen.
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Really? Ok genius, answer these for me then.
You travel a lot for your job. Say you have to drive about 4 hours one day. Client emails you and needs an answer from you pretty quickly about an hour into your trip. You don't have your phone, how will you know this urgent email came in while driving? Sure, you might have a laptop but you weren't expecting this email to come in. You going to drive with your laptop open checking your emails every few minutes? Doubtful. You lose a client.
Say you are on a job and something comes up where you need to take and send a photo of something to a client to get their approval. Not expecting this, you aren't carrying a camera and you don't have your phone. You going to halt everything, drive to a store, buy a digital camera and memory card, take a pic, grab your laptop, upload it and email it? What if you don't have time for that?
Just two examples off the top of my head. You fail.
I've gone without my iPhone 4S for a month while on vacation and didn't miss it at all. I think I'm an exception though. I use to have this temporary part time job, not my primary employer, but they kept calling me on my days off about work, so I would turn my phone off on my days off to avoid those calls. Then co-workers would text me about work. Not being big on texting, I found it a nuisance, because I felt obligated to respond to text messages immediately as they came in and it kept me on the phone all day wasting time I could spend doing things I enjoyed.
All I see around me are people's obsession with their phones. No one looks up anymore. I refuse to be like the masses. I will continue to own a smartphone, because I understand the convenience of having one, but no way will l allow work and friends to dictate my time spent on my phone.
I leave my 4S in my car when I go to the movies, gym, and out to dinner with family or friends. I don't feel the need to be available for others than those I'm spending time with at that moment.
Something funny I heard not too long ago. I overheard this girl tell her friend, "I'll text you later". I'm so use to telling my friends, "I'll call you later". Made me realize I'm not with that generation.
All I see around me are people's obsession with their phones. No one looks up anymore. I refuse to be like the masses. I will continue to own a smartphone, because I understand the convenience of having one, but no way will l allow work and friends to dictate my time spent on my phone.
I leave my 4S in my car when I go to the movies, gym, and out to dinner with family or friends. I don't feel the need to be available for others than those I'm spending time with at that moment.
Something funny I heard not too long ago. I overheard this girl tell her friend, "I'll text you later". I'm so use to telling my friends, "I'll call you later". Made me realize I'm not with that generation.
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Work use is off topic. The OP said, "it takes up spare time which should be spend with our family or friends."
Oh here we go.
People had these issues before smartphones came into existence. How did they respond then? Simple: by not having individual people become single points of failure.
If your situation is such that you and only you can get your client that answer, then your organizational structure is rotten to the core, and your client probably should look somewhere else. What happens if you're driving down the highway, you get that e-mail, and because you're reading while driving your smash into the 18-wheeler in front of you and end up incapacitated or die? Guess that client isn't getting their answer anytime soon then. Isn't that right, wise guy?
Or, you could stop every single time your phone gets a push e-mail. And miss that meeting with the client you're going to because you made lousy time.
And what if you're driving between, say, Philly and Pittsburgh? 3/4 of that journey is edge, if you're lucky, even on major highways. Your iPhone is going to be next to useless some parts of that trip anyway, and that's true in large swatch soy the US where 3G still isn't common.
Yup... that's how it happened before 2007, isn't it? Or you lost your job for lacking organization. You failed at your job for not bringing the camera you were supposed to bring, you get replaced by someone like me, who knows how not to rely on a single gadget like a crutch and can do their job without it.
Incidentally: Quite a few places that require photo documentation still rarely accept camera phone images, because they lack the ability to provide unretouched, raw camera outputs with auditable metadata. And even if the optics are great, like the 4S camera, it's still not as good as a real dSLR with removable lenses and a greater degree of control. At my job, a cell phone pic wouldn't fly. They're great for vacations where things are spontaneous and the photos are getting posted on Facebook, but unacceptable for the work we do. You'd be laughed at and booted out the door.
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last year my iphone was stolen, i went 3 days with out iphone until i buyed another one, but just on those 3 days with out iphone and i went crazy
cant imagine a week, i just feel "disconnected from the world" when i dont have it...
as someone said above, just dont be rude, and use it with discretion and when the time is correct
cant imagine a week, i just feel "disconnected from the world" when i dont have it...
as someone said above, just dont be rude, and use it with discretion and when the time is correct
My iPhone is never out of my hand, I do everything with it. I've even learned to use the left hand for toilet duties.
I could do that easily, but my gf will kill me thats one. two, I have a business depending on my phone.. if i miss a call/text from a client, i lose money. doesnt matter if it's an iphone or any other phone.
and i kill time on the train in the morning with my iphone
and i kill time on the train in the morning with my iphone
I recently went for 2 weeks without my iPhone. It was not out of choice though.
My first day on vacation in Mexico I think I lost the plot when I saw the stunning beach and sea. During this moment of madness I ploughed into the sea only to realise my phone was still in my pocket.
Anyway as I stood on the fantastic white sandy beach pouring sea water out of the headphone jack I realised its days were numbered :/
For the rest of the holiday I did find myself reaching for it automatically every now and then, but in a way Im glad it wasnt there to distract me from my holiday. Sometimes its nice to leave emails and texts behind for a while.
In the reception of the hotel where there was free wifi there were tons of people on their smartphones and people with iPads facetiming relatives back home. As awesome as that is it was a novelty for me not to be there alongside them.
The day after I got home though i couldnt get to the Apple store quick enough to replace it lol
My first day on vacation in Mexico I think I lost the plot when I saw the stunning beach and sea. During this moment of madness I ploughed into the sea only to realise my phone was still in my pocket.
Anyway as I stood on the fantastic white sandy beach pouring sea water out of the headphone jack I realised its days were numbered :/
For the rest of the holiday I did find myself reaching for it automatically every now and then, but in a way Im glad it wasnt there to distract me from my holiday. Sometimes its nice to leave emails and texts behind for a while.
In the reception of the hotel where there was free wifi there were tons of people on their smartphones and people with iPads facetiming relatives back home. As awesome as that is it was a novelty for me not to be there alongside them.
The day after I got home though i couldnt get to the Apple store quick enough to replace it lol
When in Jamaica recently, I had to do without mine. Data roaming down there is brutal and WiFi is 3rd world slow, so my 4s vacationed in the safe for 2 weeks.
BTW I forgot to turn it off and the battery only lost 40% while in airplane mode inside the safe over the 2 weeks.
BTW I forgot to turn it off and the battery only lost 40% while in airplane mode inside the safe over the 2 weeks.
Not for me, as I use the phone to stay connected to friends and family. Plus I use it for work.
Its a tool for me, not a toy so putting it a way for a week makes little sense to me
I have purposely been leaving my phone at home or with me and off.
The freedom and becoming more aware of my surroundings is refreshing.
I am able to enjoy dinner, activities and the company of friends and family.
Regarding Facebook, tweets and other things, I don't really care if little Johny or Jane is crapping their pants or dressed up in a cute outfit.
Stop and smell he roses, spend time with friends and family (physically not virtually).
Well, coffee time enjoy.
The freedom and becoming more aware of my surroundings is refreshing.
I am able to enjoy dinner, activities and the company of friends and family.
Regarding Facebook, tweets and other things, I don't really care if little Johny or Jane is crapping their pants or dressed up in a cute outfit.
Stop and smell he roses, spend time with friends and family (physically not virtually).
Well, coffee time enjoy.
I went to Europe for two weeks. I did bring my iPhone to occasionally use wifi for email, but I think i only used it twice.
It took two or three days to get used to it, but you can definitely get by without it.
It took two or three days to get used to it, but you can definitely get by without it.
I run two businesses and don't have a land line. It's my calendar, address book, billing.... and then there's myfitnesspal, the nike+ app, my iPod.
Not a chance.
Not a chance.