Dumb Phone Checklist
Why am I dumbing down my smart phone?
I’m dumbing down my smart phone this summer. Why? To put it most simply, to ruthlessly eliminate hurry from my life (stole that phrase from my favorite book). I want to pursue a little more quiet, a little more presence, a little more stillness. I want to remove anxiety, that feeling of always running late or always forgetting something, & just the constant noise & distraction that my smart phone creates. I am going to be home with my kiddos this summer & I know that it is going to be tough enough as it is to “balance” my work & summer fun with them without the constant distraction of my phone.
You can read a little more about why I’m doing this on this blog, here.
My “Dumb Phone” Checklist
I’m doing this little dumb phone challenge with a group of people and we’re each doing it a little bit differently based on our personal goals. Here’s my checklist if you’re considering doing something similar & need some ideas of where to start.
Remove social media apps
I’ll still be using social media throughout the summer for my photography business & my rentable photography studio, but I’ll mostly be checking in via my computer. I’m planning to use my laptop for responding to DMs and then re-download/re-deleting Instagram briefly when I need to post content. I don’t post every day, so I don’t think this will be too big of a deal. My goal here is to get it off of my phone (and out of my pocket) so that I don’t mindlessly start scrolling.
Remove email
Eekkk. This is going to be a big change for me. In my email app, I have several different inboxes - personal, Suzy Collins Photography, HighLight Studio, etc. I can get addicted to keeping my email inbox cleared, but it divides my attention all day hopping in and out of it. I’ll now be responding to emails at certain times throughout the day. Though inconvenient, I think this will actually be a much more efficient use of my time overall.
Move text messages off of my home screen
Texting is a really helpful tool in my life for coordinating plans with friends & family & sending helpful information, but I want to treat it a bit more like email with less frequent check-ins every 5 minutes of the day. I’m hoping that not having it on my home screen will help me build more deliberate habits of checking in and getting back to people.
Remove Safari from my home screen
I tried deleting this app altogether, but the iPhone won’t let you… so I removed it from my home screen and my goal is not use it to look things up on the go unless absolutely necessary. If I have a question that I would usually just Google & look up, instead, I’ll save it for later to do at my computer - if I even still care enough to do so.
Remove other distracting apps
The idea here is to keep the apps that serve a utility purpose in my life and remove the ones that tempt me to “escape” my real life reality by diving into a virtual one. So, I will be keeping apps like Maps, Calendar, & the Chick-fil-A app - gotta get my points, y’all.
New Habits I Hope to Create
Put my phone away for chunks of time each day
Ideally, this would be both in the morning after waking up and each night before bed. I don’t want to welcome hurry into my morning and I want to leave time for winding down each night. I love the idea of creating sacred places & spaces where my phone is simply not allowed. They discuss this idea on this podcast that I loved.
Checking email & DMS at 2 specific times each day
Instead of checking my email or social media DMs on my phone constantly throughout the day, I’m planning to check it in the morning & late afternoon each day on my computer. This ensures I still get back to people in a timely manner, but will help me stay focused and present where I am.
Carrying around pen & paper
My brain feels like a pinball machine with the ideas that bounce back and forth inside of it all day. Usually, I would immediately follow up these ideas by sending a text, or looking something up on the internet, etc. Now, when these ideas come into my mind, I want to have a notepad handy so that I can write these things down so as not to forget, but then act on them later.
Reading an actual physical book
Making up dances to my favorite songs
I use to teach group fitness and cardio dance was one of my favorite classes. This might seem random, but I’m hoping that I can use some of the time I’m getting back to flex this creative muscle of mine. Whether I have rhythm or not, ha.
Cooking more with my daughters!
My Personally Debated Apps
Podcasts & audio books
I’ve gone back and forth on these… On one hand, I really value the utility purpose these types of apps serve for me because they are what I currently use to ingest most information & learn in this phase of my life. They bring a fresh purpose & excitement to folding piles of laundry. But, on the other hand, they do prohibit me from enjoying silence (a spiritual discipline we see Jesus make time for) because I am rarely alone, and if when I am, I am listening to something constantly, I’m missing out on a chance for quiet, and for the reflection, prayer, & meditation that come with it. My husband says I could use a break from this, but I’m still contemplating…
Convenience apps
I think it’s a good principle to try to pursue real face-to-face communication with people as much as we can, because in our modern world, talking to a real life human is sadly a fading reality. I love convenience of being able to order my food ahead or avoid the lines at the store, but I don’t want to treat every purchase as just a transaction when it could be an opportunity to have a genuine interaction with a real person. This is still something I’m thinking about.
Want to join me for this super fun dumb phone summer?
If you want to join me and dumb down your phone in your own way, I’m doing this little challenge with a small group of people who want to pursue more presence & peace this summer. I’ll be sending out weekly emails with some encouragement & food for thought so that we can also connect & share what we’re learning with one another. You can sign up to join, here.
