In 2016, Sam Winston, a British artist, shut himself away for 672 hours in complete darkness ( Full Story ). It was an attempt to move away from his reliance on phone / computer screens and to find inspiration for his artwork, through sensory deprivation.

That’s an entire month without any visual stimulus!!!

Reading his story, I couldn’t help but wonder how integral “technology” has become in my own daily life.

My phone in particular, feels like an extended part of my body. Over the top of my head, I couldn’t recall doing anything or going anywhere without it, everyday.

Out of curiosity, I’ve decided to test how long I could last without using any electrical devices. The answer, I realized quickly, was just 24 hours. And it had to be on a Sunday, as my weekdays are dependent, almost entirely, on my phone and laptop.

The irony is that I’ve lasted 3 days without food ( I didn’t eat for 72 hours ), but couldn’t even attempt to go for more than 24 hours without technology.

So on a Saturday night, after informing my wife about it, I switched off the phone and spent the next 24 hours unplugged. And here are the 4 things I’ve realized during this short experiment.

You Get Extra Time

In most sports, if there’s no winner by the end of the game, the teams are allotted more time to play. It’s called extra time.

Immediately after turning off the screens, that’s what my time felt like. Every hour felt like two and I found myself with nothing to do.

Even after revisiting childhood memorabilia, reading, working out, meditating, taking a nap and playing hour long chess games with my mom, I had extra time to spare. 

I spent most of that time doing nothing, which by itself was surprisingly refreshing.

Everything Feels Calmer

One of the first things I’ve noticed during this time was how calm everything seemed to be. There were no social media notifications, messages or emails to respond to.

With nothing to distract me, I felt more present and involved in whatever activity I was doing.

I was focussed in my conversations with others, felt “in the zone” during my workouts and meditations. I’ve even experienced a heightened sense of awareness towards my surroundings, which kind of felt like a superpower.

The Urge Lingers

The urge to reach out to a screen was always present during these 24 hours. Everything I did without them felt different.

To give you an idea, here’s a list of all my daily activities, where I would typically use a gadget.

Waking Up – Phone Alarm

Exercise – Workout Tracking App

Reading – Kindle / Laptop

Meditation – Phone Timer

Staying in Touch – Audio & Video Calls, Whatsapp, Telegram, Messages, Social Media

News – Apps

Games – Phone

Entertainment – TV / Laptop

Writing – Laptop

I bought my first smartphone in 2010. Looking at this list, I couldn’t help but wonder how, in just 10 years, my phone became an essential item, taking over all aspects of my life.

You Get Used to It

By Sunday afternoon, almost 15 hours into the experiment, I started to feel normal again and didn’t notice the absence of technology much.

This experiment also made me realize that you can use a physical alarm clock, read a newspaper or a book, play board games, write on a piece of paper, use a landline phone, as a substitute for screen time.

Except for video calls and messaging, I’ve found that most other things could be managed, even while being unplugged.

Summary

Having a “Tech Free” day once in a while will help you become calm, stay in the present and frees up time to reflect upon / reset your senses. I would recommend that everyone try it at least once a month, if not more.

As much as I’d like to advocate the benefits of going unplugged, Technology is not all that bad. 

In fact, the most difficult part of this experiment for me, was being unable to play with my baby girl, who’s staying away from me at the moment, via video.

I eagerly waited for the last half an hour to pass and as soon as the time was up, it was the first thing I did with my phone. 

I’ll definitely try a tech free day once again, but this time, I’ll have to exempt our father – daughter play time from the challenge.

P.S : My phone had 200+ notifications across email, messages, and social media as soon as I switched it on. None of them were urgent or important.

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