I had spent a full week last month taking a break from my phone. I do have a watch which delivers notifications to my wrist as I want to be there for the people who are important to me, but there is enough friction in the watch that I find little distraction in it. I keep my phone in the drawer and I will use it for a few things like looking at the weather radar, logging calories, or answering a more complicated text message. The week had been good, but feels more like a start. I used my extra time to read. I have also found myself with several moments of sitting with myself, unsure what to do without the easy distraction. In those moments, I feel a great sense of opportunity. I have been using it to both evaluate what is important to me, but also engaging in some of that forward motion, my other escape.
It is worth noting that minimalism and experiments like these are a rich person’s hobby.