Earlier this year I became connected to the world wide web on my mobile phone (albeit slowly). It’s fun checking twitter from my phone and receiving email. But I’m considering turning it off.
The cost is $15 a month for 2 phones and that equals $180 per year. It’s not a lot of money, but it could be used for other things. Like yoga, biking stuff or chocolate!
Turning off the internet on our tiny phones would be a good thing, yet I’m hesitant and I don’t know why. I survived without internet on my phone for years and now I’m addicted. I’m not sure if gadgets enhance simple living or not.
Howard Mann pointed out in “What Matters Now”…
We’ve become slaves to our mobile devices and the glow of our screens. It used to be much more simple and, somewhere, simple turned into slow.
We walk the streets with our heads down staring into 3-inch screens while the world whisks by doing the same. And yet we’re convinced we are more connected to each other than ever before. Multi-tasking has become a badge of honor. I want to know why.
Mann’s words struck a cord with me. Now I’m wondering if I’ve become a slave to my little green phone. If I gave into my iphone lust I would become more connected than ever and likely become a glow-faced minion.
So dear readers, leave a comment and some advice. Should I unplug the internet from my little green phone? Maybe that will cure my email addiction?
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I think you already know the answer to this.
We are only slaves if we allow ourselves to be. Yesterday on my way to the grocery store, my daughter sent me a text message to ask me to pick something up for her and tell me she loves me. I was more connected to my daughter than if I was just in my own head thinking my own non-tech thoughts. However, two days ago I was driving on the interstate, an email showed up on my iPhone, and I chose to answer that email while driving. I was definitely allowing myself to be a slave.
One idea is to have certain times during the day where your phone is simply turned off. (Other than at night when you are sleeping anyway.) Can you handle a couple of hours with no phone at all? If so, you are probably not as addicted as you think.
Also, it is amazing how much you can accomplish with only SMS, especially with Twitter. Even Facebook allows you to send and receive email via SMS.
One last thought. When I dropped Facebook a couple of months ago, I also decided to slow down my pace of emailing. Other than for urgent and important emails, I allow incoming emails to sit a day before I answer them. Sometimes I allow a few days, something I never did before. This process of waiting allows me to relax and gives me a certain amount of psychic space, if you will. It is similar to what happened when I started meditating so many years ago. It allows me to take a long, deep mental breath and not simply react.
It’s kind of Barry Schwartz’s paradox of choice, isn’t it? If the option to have internet on your phone weren’t even available, then you wouldn’t experience unhappiness. But because you always have the thought of “what if leaving it on were better?” then you have that potential unhappiness from making that choice. And I often wonder if technology has contributed to people becoming less creative in problem solving. Something as simple as reading a map can’t even happen now with GPS on phones and Garmins in the car. And I miss the days where getting lost meant adventure. Now we all know where to go.
I say turn it off! I would on my phone, but the Sidekick won’t work at all without it. Be brave! I admire your choosing something simpler. And yoga, biking, and chocolate sounds a lot better to me than email.
@chesapeake and @Chris – thank you both for leaving such thoughtful comments. I really appreciate your feedback! It’s seems like I fall between 2 extremes. I lust for an iPhone or iTouch, love technology and then start thinking about turning the internet off. Part of the issue is actually trying to find balance in life. I think I’m getting closer to that, but finding the sweet spot is still a struggle.
@Chris – My little phone isn’t very fast, so I use SMS to update twitter frequently. I really like your idea of allowing incoming emails to sit for a day before answering them. A cool idea! And the story about your daughter is really sweet.
I’m curious about your decision to drop Facebook. Tell me more. Why did you drop the service and how do you feel now that it’s gone?
I’ve pondered doing the same thing, but keep going back and forth. My parents are on facebook and it’s been a great way to stay connected to them…
Thanks again!
I can only add my personal experience Tammy. I have had an iPhone for about 4 years and am absolutely addicted to it. I almost compulsively email, Facebook and Tweet. My addiction has only worsened as new apps are released. While I have recently begun leaving it behind when I go to dinner or our for an evening but its absence is definitely noted and it causes anxiety.
I am not saying get one or don’t, only to be careful because once you let one into your life it becomes very, very hard to limit its use.
I also can’t believe I just wrote the above statements about a CELL PHONE! I think I need help!
Hey Tammy!
I recently got rid of my cellphone and I’m so happy! I know it’s a little more drastic than you intend to do but I hope it helps with your decision making proccess.
hugs!
Lelly
@Lelly – WOW! You got rid of your cellphone?!? I’m impressed. So do you have a land-line to connect with friends and family?
@chesapeake Wow, I love your quote about how traveling is never an adventure anymore with our GPSs. I agree 100% and on my next road trip with friends I am leaving it at home!
This last year I’ve “enjoyed” all my emails instantly being sent to my Blackberry. This includes work emails as well. I found myself a much better “worker” by responding to all my emails in my off hours. But then, people started expecting more and more from me and my work day really just never ended. In addition to this, with the instant messenger on it, people would know if you’ve read their message so there’s sudden stress of responding to the IMs right away. Even while driving.
I’ve decided to change jobs, and go for an adventure (military police officer)… I am not back to my regular non-internet phone and I will soon be leaving the city and off for training. Not having my internet so readily available has been very freeing. Now I look forward to logging in every day or so to check my email (instead of every second) and I get to check every couple of days to check my favourite bloggers (to find 2-3 posts I haven’t read yet !!).
Like Chris said though, having simply SMS has further enhanced my relationships with my close friends. That’s one thing I couldn’t live without. No internet and no email… very freeing
Christine
Hi. I’ve got an iPhone and I think I will never turn “the internet” off.
Although sometimes I have the same thoughts you’re having right now, I won’t simply drop it. It’ become a must. Why? Because every time I need a quick info about anything that comes in my mind, I can use it to search in the web. Every time I run out of fuel in an unknown place, I use an app that shows me the nearest oil station. And so on, this list could be infinite.
Obviously I don’t keep my eyes on it every moment in the day, like Chris said you must avoid becoming a slave. But the pros are to many to simply drop it and pretend it never existed.
Good points Diego. I’ve thought about getting an iPhone, but can’t justify the expense at this time. Unfortunately, my little phone is very limited with what it can do online and it’s SO SLOW. So I’m not sure if it’s worth the cost of keeping the service or not.
I’m still weighting the pro’s and con’s and appreciate your input!
Tammy, I haven’t missed Facebook even one minute and I had almost 3,000 friends! I let my friends and family know that they could simply contact me via email or phone and it has gone very smoothly. I quit because I was letting it suck my time and energy and when I really thought about it I realized I was not getting any real benefits from it. Yes, I connected with a lot of former students and friends and even some relatives, but they can still catch by email.
Technology definitely has the power to enslave. I got rid of my cellphone ages ago and haven’t missed it. I’m just not a phone person. My son is trying to get me to join facebook, but I’ve been balking. I am sharing this computer with my husband and try to limit my time spent online…not just out of consideration for him but also because I begin feeling enslaved after a while. It robs me from being fully present in the moment. Addicted? You bet! I love email, blogs, etc. Even more, I love tv. This week while at my medical checkup, I discovered that my doctor doesn’t even own a television despite the fact that she has 3 children. I was stunned! I’m sure I would go bonkers without mine.
@Lisa – so true. In the end it’s all about balance. I know a number of parents who don’t have a T.V. and they love it! Friends have told me that they spend more quality time with their kids and do more outdoor activities, which is really positive.
We sold our TV a few years ago and it was such a good decision. I was so addicted to the black box! Now I spend a lot more time reading and writing, which is a good thing.
Amen to dropping the television!! I have a couple of shows I watch on Hulu.com and that is all. I’ve been plowing through books like nobody’s business!
Wonderful place Tammy, I really like your logo by the way. Oh true, the comment:
I’m a web developer which of course will leave really clear how many hours a day I spend in front of a computer and plugged into the net. But even I like the wonderful rest I can get at night when I can just unplug everything and be with myself.
It’s really important to have time for the real world. Twitter, Facebook and many others are great services and very helpful for a lot of things, but they must not become the core of your existence. Let your true passions define you, not the 12 hours you spend in front of a flashy screen (I’m guilty of this last sentence).
Enjoy a good book or why not a phone call to a friend, a walk in the park or maybe just gazing out your window.
Again, wonderful place to be, you will have to endure my regular visits from now on. =)
Thank you Alejandro! I’m glad you like the logo and the blog.
I agree – the internet and all the tools it offers (Twitter, Facebook, etc) are amazing. But it’s important to have face time with people, read books, and get involved with your local community.
As part of my developing ‘life-simplifying master plan’, I have taken a job in a large retail store. For me, leaving the store at the end of the day means that I leave work and don’t much think about it until I go back to work again the next day. After 9 years of self employed photographic free-lancing (or ‘hand to mouth survival’ as we call it in our house) this has added a new level of peace to my life. For now it feels like a holiday. One of the extra benefits of this job is that I am not allowed to have my iPhone during my working time on the shop floor. At first this left me with a deep unease; I was cut off from the world I knew, unreachable. Now I am used to it I love it. I can concentrate on my work without constantly checking who wants me and it feels right for my evolving philosophy. Some of that philosophy I owe to you Tammy. Thank you.
@Neil – Good for you! It’s sounds like the new job fits you well and you’ve found balance in your life. I’m glad I could help.
If I could just turn the internet off once I leave work, even that would be a HUGE improvement!
Tammy, the only reason we have a cell phone is because we are waiting for the call from the transplant team. I have gone w/o one 3 different times in my life. It is easy to get rid of the trap; even easier to get used to it again and desire even more. I can forsee the day we will not have a phone again. It comes down to economics for us. Trimming the budget equals survival tactics. We will be spending money on anti-rejection medicine and I will welcome the day we can downsize our home too. That said, meeting you online has been a lifeline for me. Words cannot express how much I appreciate your kindness and insights. Bring on the chocolate, girl!
It’s one thing that Chris and I have talked a lot about. I am convinced that phones are the technology of the future. In developing countries, places with limited infrastructure, a physician with a phone and internet access can email x-rays to specialists quickly.
On the one hand, I want to be technologically adaptive but on the other hand I absolutely despise the system of cell phones. (For me it’s less about intrusion on my time than it is about cell phone companies intrude on your freedom and flexibility.)
Do it!
I’m a sort of weird contradiction myself, I work with computers (Helpdesk in the past and right now I do SEO consulting) but yet my calendar is a hacked Moleskine and my cell phone is just that…a phone.
Don’t have a TV, watch a couple of shows regularly online but that’s it.
I say shut the internet down. Emails can wait for you to get home. If you have to, use sms (I don’t, but that’s just me) to communicate that you’ll get back to them later. I hate how addicted we as a culture have become to our various blinking boxes. My best friend is a web designer, doesn’t even have a cell phone. I call him the high-tech troglodyte.
tehe
I don’t know what to say. I’m addicted too, but maybe at least I would get something else done if I had it with me! lol I read this week that “they ” ( who are they, anyway? ) think that the cell towers are responsible for the killing of the honey bees, so for that reason alone I would turn it off. But obviously, cell phones are here to stay, I just hope we can continue to eat too! Merry Christmas
BTW, not asking for a new phone this year. ( smile )
Well, I’ve read some of the very thoughtful comments here, but not all, so if this is redundant… so-be-it. I believe that cell phones and their increasing applications and technology are provided to us for OUR benefit. In fact, I’ve felt that way about phones period and I was around before answering machines!
What seems to be the issue with most folks, is that they are not willing, or perhaps strong enough to say “enough-is-enough” and just put the dang things down and allow themselves to not be connected to technology or with others for any period of time. What makes the incoming call or text more important than what you are doing at that moment? If you are biking with your main squeeze and/or friends…. what would make a text or call or email more important than them? What would make it more important to answer a work email when you are not suppose to be working at all? Haven’t we all complained about employers or friends bothering us when we didn’t want to be bothered, or work overtime when we had something else to do? Like mundane laundry or something like that? Then why would we allow ourselves to become so attached to a device that changes all that? What are we afraid of missing? As we all look at ways to simplify our lives and make things easier… isn’t budgeting your OWN time way more important than being at beckon-call to someone else?
Are you going to say “Oh, I’m so glad I answered all those text messages and emails before I died. I didn’t really want to spend that much time with my loved ones or myself anyway?” Now don’t get me wrong on this, I thank Bill Gates and all the technology that has come after him, especially the webcam allowing me to talk with and see my children when we were all in three different places (Iraq, California and Pennsylvanis), but all that wonderful stuff is for MY convenience, not the convenience of others. And that’s the way I look at my cell phone, my computer etc. They are all there for ME to use, not to be used BY them.
PS. Yes, I am looking for a smart phone to become more connected, but I still will control the time I spend for MY benefit, not the benefit of others.
Debby, I love your comments!
Debby – great points indeed! Smart phones and computers are amazing tools, but in the end it’s all about balance and know when to say “enough-is-enough.” You are so right on the mark! Good luck on your search for a smart phone.
Does your little kitten like the cat walks? Let’s plan a lunch date after the New Year. You can come pick up the chair and we can chat more about this topic. Hugs to you…
Sounds like a great way to start 2010… we’ve got a date. Cat walks will require my 6′ 3″ son to help with the installation, however, I’m having a ball trying to decide what confg I want. Will post pics when Wynkyn breaks them in.
Well, Tammy, I have been following your journey to a simpler, freer life for quite a long time now and have been so impressed with the richness you and Logan have brought into your lives simply by letting go. I aspire to achieve some of what you have. And, I know you are a tech kind of gal which complicates your decisions around gadgets.
I, on the other hand, am not. I worked 22 years of my life in ‘on call’ positions – even before pagers were affordable for small nonprofit organizations and I had to ‘call in’ every hour on the hour! I am painfully aware of what it means to be slave to. My landline has no features, not even call display, and I rarely answer it when it rings. My cell (only recently purchased because of a change in work) is frequently turned off and not locatable (ooops). I respond to emails at my leisure, sometimes late enough that I delete them rather than responding. I marvel at the contradictory health benefits of walking on the treadmill while speaking on the cellphone and tweeting between every set in the weight room. I have friends who cannot go for a run or a bike ride without a blackberry and have had savasana interrupted by ringtones like The William Tell Overture.
I guess I am saying there must be a limit to everything. You have been successful in so many areas of your life and are so open and introspective that I know you will find a way to feel free of the iphone burden as well.
Stay Well.
Dear Tammy,
I have just found your amazing blog and have to tell you that it’s been a while since I had stoped on a blog for more than 5 minutes. Honestly. I have been reading yours for a half an hour now and find it so insightful and inspiring.
I am trying to simplify my life as well, as I have been addicted to the Internet and using it in a really bad and unmindful way. I own an iPhone and it only makes matters worse. But I have started the process of simplifing my life and started from the Internet. The first thing I did was to delete my Facebook account (I was compulsively checking for status updates, comments and gossips, but it didn’t help me to see my friends more often or make the actual friendships more fruitful!). Just as Chris said, I do not miss it at all. I feel relieved. But, of course, I have found another medium to waste my time on. It’s Twitter. It serves me differently then Facebook did but still I can’t use it very skilfully yet. The first thing I did, was to cut down on the amount of people I follow. Now I am trying to really get to know those I follow and engage with them in a conversation. The next step for me is to cut down the time I use on the Internet, both on my laptop and iPhone.
Your articles and the comments from fellow readers are very helpful! I agree with most of your readers who say that computers and smartphones are only tools. It’s the way we use them that is important.
I am going to come back to your blog often. Thank you again for the inspiration!
Best wishes from Denmark!
Thank you Angela! Downscaling (physical or virtual worlds) is a hard process and it helps to have a supportive community keep you on track. I’m glad to hear you’ll be back for more inspiration. Let me know if you have more questions.