I want to get rid of my smartphone - sticking points...

TruChange · Oct 2, 2018

I've been thinking about trashing my smartphone for a couple of years. And after putting it off for so long, I've decided to finally take the plunge.

Background: I've been a smartphone and social media hater for a long time.

I deleted as many apps as I could.

I keep the phone switched off in a drawer downstairs all night. I put it on airplane mode as much as possible.

I often leave the house without my phone and don't turn it on until the afternoon.

I go to dinner and shake my head as everyone around me is staring at their phones.
My phone is usually switched off in my pocket, or I left it at home.

My friends ask me if I saw a certain post on Facebook, or if I have Snapchat. They're baffled that I don't'.

But even after all this, I still find myself wasting an evening, or a Sunday afternoon, watching a few Youtube videos or reading blogs.

And it bothers me.

I HATE myself for relapsing using my smartphone. I get annoyed when I use the smartphone to avoid work and my business.

I think I would have MORE FREE TIME in my life without a smartphone. I'm convinced doing a 90 day reboot would be easier without a smartphone.

So I've been getting ready for life without it:

1. I bought a flip phone. I switched the SIM card from my smartphone to my dumb phone. I can still call and text my friends and family.

I also use Skype on my computer for work calls.

2. I'm going to buy a camera so I can take photos and videos without a smartphone.

3. I asked myself: "What do I do on my smartphone?"

Here's what I use it for most:

- Whatsapp: messaging with friends from abroad
- Instagram
- Financial Tracking: entering spending, budgeting, etc.
- Audible & Stitcher: listening to audiobooks and podcasts
- Habit Tracking: I use Coach.Me to check in everyday. They have a NoFap group there if any guys are interested.

4. Finding workarounds:
- Audible & Stitcher: I bought an MP3 player. I can download most podcasts and audiobooks to my laptop and then upload them to my MP3 player. No problem.
- Financial Tracking & Coach.Me: I found desktop versions of both apps. All good.

But I'm stuck on Whatsapp and Instagram.

A friend have told me that you can view Instagram on a desktop but you can't upload photos without the app.

The same friend also told me that, while there is a Whatsapp desktop version, you must have a smartphone to use it.

Possible solutions?

Tell my Whatsapp contacts that I'm taking a break from the app for a while. Ask them to email/Facebook/Skype me etc. to talk.

Retire from Instagram and smartphones until I've rebooted and fully recovered.

Maybe I can come back to them in the future when fapping and porn is no longer a part of my life.

Has anyone successfully gotten rid of their smartphone? Are there any workarounds for Instagram and Whatsapp?

Thanks for reading,
- TruChange

Jack of Clubs · Oct 3, 2018

What do you even need Instagram for? I don't get the point of that program (assuming one already has Facebook)
Is there anything that a pen and paper can't do that your coaching app does?
Regarding chat stuff, this one is tricky but I think you have the right idea on what to do. It really depends on how important the chat is to you. If its just casual banter then just stop engaging.

oldman83 · Oct 3, 2018

I want to share my experience, I hope to understand to why it is working. I feel it may be possible it is some fluke, or maybe even a temporary state of resistance I had during this period.

My background is I started playing Counterstrike when I was 17. I played it close to 8 to 16 hours every day for 6 years. Then I continued playing various mmorpgs and about 7 years ago I started my mobile game spree.

About a week ago I begun my journey to eradicate gaming habits. During lunch, despite not deleting my gaming apps and my friends all playing mobile games, I find myself not interested in any of it. I engaged with the conversation when they had fun (E.g. a funny moment they shared playing that game) but it didn't trigger me to give up and join in.

What I did mostly instead is read articles related to my job or world news. And that only happens after I finished my lunch. I mostly keep the phone in my pocket. During my two hour commute from home to work I feel it is comfortable and relaxing to look at the scenery or people's expression. They seemed so alien at first. I am aware it has been almost forever since I had observed people's expression. Most of the time I am looking forward for new hobbies or swimming. My ankle still hasn't recovered from dislocation and it kinda bothered me a bunch that I cannot start running. The sensation to run again.. or rather the desire to run again made me motivated for no reason.

Good sleeping habit, Friends, exercise, healthy diet, motivation, new hobbies (clay model making, reading) some how worked. But I am not tested till one day I feel sad/depressed (some major thing happen to my family etc), and that instant I tell myself to buck up instead of looking for an old bad habit to escape. I hope I continue to do well, and I am planning to write and draw stuffs (more hobbies that require creation)

To also add some weird experiment I am testing since last week. On the bed at night I will relax and spend roughly 10+ minutes to pick a year in my life and then start recalling the events as detail as possible. E.g. I would pick my first day in my university (8 years ago, I started uni at 27) and go as detail as possible, and slowly branch out to correlated objects/events such as my professor's name, my classmates, what is the first topic he taught, my assignments, the building, the color of the table etc. This helped me in my memory and it is really effective for me and I started to have better long and short term memory. After that recall every night, I tell myself to think "blank" and go sleep.

And holy cow, 14 hours + and my 2 year old Samsung S7 still has 72% battery. This feeling rocks.

As for no pmo it has been almost 20 days flat line

TruChange · Oct 8, 2018

Rambling Man said: ↑

Hey TruChange, congratulations on getting rid of your smartphone.

Among other methods, it's possible to upload images to Instagram using the mobile version of the webpage on your browser. Have a look at this.

As for substituting Whatsapp, consider Telegram. It's much better, many of your acquaintances likely already use it (or would be willing to) and it has a desktop version.

Good luck! Stay strong!
Click to expand...

Hey Rambling Man,

Thanks so much for the article on uploading to Instagram without a smartphone.

Instagram deliberately make it difficult for people to upload images from a desktop... because they want people to use the Instagram app on a smarphone... because hand-held devices are more addictive than desktop devices.

That's my crazy conspiracy theory, anyway.

TruChange · Oct 8, 2018

Jack of Clubs said: ↑

What do you even need Instagram for? I don't get the point of that program (assuming one already has Facebook)
Is there anything that a pen and paper can't do that your coaching app does?
Regarding chat stuff, this one is tricky but I think you have the right idea on what to do. It really depends on how important the chat is to you. If its just casual banter then just stop engaging.
Click to expand...

1. I understand what you mean. I'm not married to Instagram but it is different to Facebook in some ways.
2. The coaching app is accessible through their website. So no worries - I deleted the app. I agree with you: pen and paper can do the job just as well in most cases.
3. Good point: texting and digital messaging should be used to exchange vital information, logistics and times, etc. Whatsapp (groups especially) is a lot of casual banter that consumes time and attention.

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I want to get rid of my smartphone - sticking points...

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