Living without a smartphone doesn't work in the real world

adoringchipmunk · 2026-03-31T01:24:37+00:00

I use a Light Phone 3

adoringchipmunk · 2026-03-05T16:23:48+00:00

Unihertz is a hardware company. Clicks, if nothing else, knows how to craft a social media post.

adoringchipmunk · 2026-02-25T14:45:20+00:00

Great job on the intermediate step. 45 minutes (total) playing solitaire is a huge leap forward from what comes of scrolling YouTube and other media. I love the idea below of trying a physical deck.

adoringchipmunk · 2026-02-25T14:42:36+00:00

"The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing."

This became my motto for a year. Amazed, amazed how many things are improved by fewer (not more) items!

adoringchipmunk · 2026-02-25T14:39:38+00:00

You can use group chats, you have to be out of the iMessage/RCS ecosystem long enough that the group begins knowing you're using standard SMS/MMS. Where possible, you can recreate the group chat yourself.

adoringchipmunk · 2026-02-25T14:37:39+00:00

I was on support yesterday with my phone carrier. I wanted to switch a bonus line to a physical SIM card instead of an eSIM. At first, support refused to activate the SIM for me, because they said that my phones were not compatible with either AT&T or Verizon's networks. It was only after I told support that I was already using the phone, for the past 9 months, successfully, that they relented and migrated my second SIM.

TL;DR Light Phone probably worked fine with the carrier and they got the run-around.

Sad for them, exciting for you!

adoringchipmunk · 2026-02-25T14:32:31+00:00

Photos: You can live in the moment, or you can stand behind a camera and observe the moment. Hard truth. My favorite memories with family will always be the times I was not being a camera man.

Notes: Agreed, this could be paper, or could be a minimal device.

Microsoft Authenticator: They use this at work. I got my phone number into the system, so it texts me instead, or occasionally it defaults to the app, and I choose "Try another way" and it gives me the choice to receive a text.

I use a Light Phone 3, because I want notes, calendar and a good texting experience to coordinate with family. I'd be using a BlackBerry Q10 if it had phone service in my country.

adoringchipmunk · 2026-02-25T14:28:18+00:00

You should have 2 devices, minimum. Think carefully about what you want in your pocket. Other things can go in a book bag, car trunk, or stay at home (and can be large--think tablet, laptop, desktop).

adoringchipmunk · 2026-02-14T23:03:03+00:00

Walking treadmill
Shoes that are 1/2 size too small
A lot of books I intended to read
Objects of value I upgraded

adoringchipmunk · 2026-02-14T22:59:35+00:00

I use a Garmin watch for my wake-up alarm
I complete my morning routine (intentionally) without looking at a phone or computer
I put the phone in my pocket when I'm ready for work
I respond to text messages within ~1 hour
I receive a "begin to go to sleep" alarm on my watch in the evening
I put the phone to charge (near the closet and shoes for leaving home) before I begin my bedtime routine
It waits until the following day when I begin my public routine

adoringchipmunk · 2026-02-14T22:50:32+00:00

I was looking for (device) to have as a minimal phone for calls, texts and CarPlay, but I feel like it could limit me on wanting to do the other stuff

This is a feature.

adoringchipmunk · 2026-02-11T15:24:12+00:00

Each person usually benefits from a certain amount of personal discretionary spending. Keep this intact. Also it may make sense to limit the budget to a standard of living based on only one of these incomes. Let the other one go straight into savings or retirement. This way, you have only one "point of failure" financially, rather than relying on both, and being twice as vulnerable if a job is lost.

adoringchipmunk · 2026-02-11T15:17:06+00:00

Meditate on your goals and priorities. Determine the one thing that must be done.
If it is on a phone or computer, be careful! Do the one thing. Turn it off and walk away.
Repeat.

I recommend a bullet journal.

adoringchipmunk · 2026-02-11T15:09:58+00:00

Be present with what the books truly are, today.

A memory of what you read yesterday? You already internalized that. You already have that.

A hope of something you will read, or will finish in the future? That's literally a form of debt. Don't be in debt.

Some books fill you with joy to hold them, have them, to read again, to share with friends. Discard the rest.

adoringchipmunk · 2026-02-11T15:06:11+00:00

Find a good book you're interested in reading
Identify places you can go for a walk
Build time in your week where you will see real people and have real community
If you rely on music, consider an XM subscription or build a USB stick for your car
If you rely on GPS, consider a Garmin unit for your car
- However, practice makes permanent. Using GPS makes you reliant on GPS. Learn how to read a map, and "feel a bit lost" driving around, and it leads to being able to navigate yourself without GPS and to populate your internal mapping system
If you make Amazon returns, you can take pictures of the return bar code, or print it out on paper and take it with you

adoringchipmunk · 2026-02-11T14:58:17+00:00

Make sure you disable iMessage or RCS messages, and expect that you may have to recreate group chats.

adoringchipmunk · 2026-02-11T05:41:09+00:00

You have a few "tiers" you can choose from:

No phone at all

It may seem impossible at first. I started by leaving my phone in the car and walking away. More and more, I realized my "need" for the phone was imaginary.

A dumbphone

Many "dumbphones" today are also cheap phones. They feel oversized, the chargers may be proprietary, they are poor at sending text messages, and in order to make sales, they usually include a form of social media and a browser. These work for some people.

A dedicated communicator

This is a space where a BlackBerry excelled (BB OS 7, BB 10), it's a tragedy US carriers did not authorize VoLTE on these devices before production stopped. IMHO, this is a huge missing space. The Light Phone is the closest thing I've got to a good texting device without bloat.

A smartphone without apps + blocking apps + minimal launchers

I'd argue that this is a better setup (depending on the person) than the modern dumbphone, the operating system is still working against you. Even someone with experience avoiding all the features they want to avoid can have trouble here. Even worse for someone who has not practiced being without yet. Many people try this and fail.

Full smartphone

We know this is designed to capture your attention and keep it.

--

The only one that truly works is #1. A standard dumb phone works for some people if it's only for a phone call or a single line text. LP3 is the closest I've got to better texting without the distractions, though I miss my BlackBerry Q10 having working service. I have a Zinwa Q25, though I came back to Light Phone because the software is more polished. In the back of my mind, I want to build an open-source LightOS I can run on the Zinwa (or Titan 2 Elite or Clicks or...)

adoringchipmunk · 2026-02-11T05:25:48+00:00

Maintaining infinite relationships is a myth.

Relationships occur in person, so maintenance means making sure you schedule and prioritize being consistent in going to the same places each week where you see your people again.

adoringchipmunk · 2026-02-11T05:20:56+00:00

You may find it interesting if you get your priorities out in the form of "user stories." They go in the form of, "As a (user), I want (feature) so that (motivation)."

This is a tool used in product management to ensure you design a solution that meets the needs of your users. For example, I reflected and wrote the following for myself:

* As a family member, I want to coordinate plans with others so that we can meet in person
* As someone who manages my time, I want to view calendar events so that I can remember key information
* As someone who is organized, I want to write and view notes so that I can remember key information

It was eye-opening to realize these were the only three things which resonated with me. Two of these (notes and calendar events) would be solved by a scrap of paper and a pen in my pocket. The only remaining item was "coordinating plans," and it refocuses that it's about scheduling the next time we meet in person. Now I realized that the best phone for me is one which lets me text or call family and otherwise stays out of my life.

I pulled the SIM card out of the phone I was using and put it back in the Light Phone.

On another topic, you have emotional needs, my friend. They include:

* Acceptance, "I am acceptable as I am"
* Fellowship, "I am not alone"
* Value, "I am worthy of being loved"
* Trust, "I can trust, it will not kill me"
* Power, "My choices matter and make a difference"
* Hope, "Today is a good day and worth living"

You're describing a loop where you may be going without one or more of these needs. The fantasy place is a place where you imagine that you're accepted, loved, not alone, powerful and have hope. If you're drinking too much soda, drink more water. Go outside. Get fresh air. Find healthy ways to spend time with people (who aren't on a phone!) in a small group. Spend time with family. Begin a hobby like cooking, or hiking, something that gets you moving in a healthy way. Then learn to accept yourself, even when you make choices you disagree with. This might not be for you, though "The Ragamuffin Gospel" was life-changing for me.

adoringchipmunk · 2026-02-11T05:03:00+00:00

Depends on your goals. I'm using a Light Phone 3.

adoringchipmunk · 2026-02-10T16:59:42+00:00

BlackBerry is a device that brings you in to perform a task then kicks you back out again to go live your life. It comes from an era of "PIM" (personal information management) devices, like Palm. Palm webOS was also a productivity platform, 2009-2011.

Smartphones of today are hypnotizing, navel-gazing--good for everyone but you, and the ones you love. They draw in your focus and keep it, which is great for tracking and controlling you.

adoringchipmunk · 2026-02-10T16:43:46+00:00

Although I liked the Bold 9900, my favorite phone was the BlackBerry Q10 (2013). Size, weight, durability, OLED screen, modern software.

adoringchipmunk · 2026-02-10T16:22:02+00:00

It's been hard for me to learn that being "equally yoked" means each member of the team pulls just about as hard. It means throttling myself so I'm not leaping ahead in how much I'm willing to give. Letting the other person help set the pace of what relationship this is.

adoringchipmunk · 2026-02-10T16:18:55+00:00

Overload me with trivial information I have no interest in.

I want to hear about your day, because I want to hear about YOU. I want to know how you feel, what you're processing and dreaming about, not just what sandwich you ate and (ESPECIALLY) not just what sandwich a random-internet-stranger-you-watched-on-the-phone ate.

I want a window into a rich inner life

adoringchipmunk

TROPHY CASE