In my last article, I shared my experience of quitting social media and endless scrolling after my phone broke.

But as the weeks passed, I realized this wasn’t just about social media, it was about stepping away from my phone entirely.

So here’s what I learned after over a month without a phone, the pros, the cons, and the unexpected shifts in my life.

5-Minute Daily Screen Time

Let’s get something out of the way first. Did I use my phone? Yes, but only for five minutes daily.

How? Well, my phone was broken, I couldn’t see anything on the screen, but it was still working and touch-responsive.

There were only two things I absolutely needed it for.

First, receiving SMS verification codes when logging into accounts.

To do this, I’d connect my phone to my laptop, use special software to mirror the screen, check the code, and that was it.

Second, liking stories of people who mentioned my content. This took less than a minute, but to me, it felt like a simple way to acknowledge and thank my followers.

And that was my entire phone usage: less than five minutes a day.

The Focus Breaker

We’ve all been there, fully immersed in deep work, only to check our phone for “just a second,” and suddenly, we’ve lost our flow.

It doesn’t matter if you don’t even open an app; just looking at your screen can break your concentration.

With my phone out of commission, that urge disappeared.

At first, I still instinctively reached for it, only to be reminded that it didn’t work. But soon enough, I stopped even thinking about it.

My focus improved, my work sessions became deeper, and I finally got rid of one of the biggest distractions in modern life.

Bringing Joy to the Table

Social gatherings used to be people sitting together but completely disconnected, lost in their screens.

But without my phone, I wasn’t willing to just sit there while everyone else was absorbed in theirs.

So I started engaging people more. I’d pull my friends and family out of their digital bubbles, forcing them to put their phones down and actually talk.

We laughed more, shared more, and created moments that we’d actually remember, not just scroll past.

The Feeling of Freedom

I talked about this last time, but it’s worth repeating: I felt free.

Everywhere I went, I saw people glued to their screens, on the bus, in cafes, on the streets. But me?

I was just present, noticing the world around me.

And whenever I caught someone staring at their phone while I was simply observing life, I felt like I had escaped something.

Like I wasn’t a slave to a screen anymore.

99.99% of My Work Was Done on My Laptop

Another realization: I didn’t actually need my phone for work. Almost everything I did, writing, managing projects, communicating, was possible on my laptop.

If my job had relied on my phone, it would’ve been harder to step away.

But since it didn’t, this experiment felt effortless. And that’s something I’m incredibly grateful for.

No FOMO

I ditched the fear of missing out years ago.

Back in high school, I quit social media for an entire year. Everyone told me I’d miss so much, but when I returned, I realized I hadn’t missed anything important.

That lesson stuck with me.

People love to say, “But what if you miss something?” The truth is, most of what we consume online is useless.

The reels we save, do we ever go back and watch them? Maybe once or twice, but most of them? Never.

The endless content we scroll through doesn’t add real value to our lives.

One of my friends even DM’d me, asking why I wasn’t watching the reels he sent me.

I laughed because, well, my phone was broken. But even if it wasn’t, I had no desire to watch them.

It wasn’t about resisting temptation; I genuinely didn’t care.

Health Benefits

Let’s be real. Excessive screen time is bad for us.

Staring at screens before bed strains our eyes and messes with our sleep, even if we enable eye protection mode.

Without my phone, I cut that habit entirely.

Then there’s the mental load. Every time we consume content, we’re filling our brain’s storage with information we’ll never use. It slows us down.

But stepping away from my phone felt like clearing out unnecessary files.

My mind ran faster, felt sharper, and I wasn’t carrying around useless digital clutter.

The Only Real Con: Calls

If I had to name one downside, it would be phone calls.

At home or in a cafe with WiFi, I could use WhatsApp on my laptop.

But out in the world, without mobile data, it was tough, especially in emergencies.

That was the only real challenge. Everything else? Pure gain.

Feeling Happier

Here’s the unexpected part: I just felt happier.

Maybe it was because I stopped consuming other people’s lives. Maybe it was because I started appreciating the little things more. Or maybe it was simply the absence of constant digital noise.

Whatever the reason, I wasn’t just surviving without my phone. I was thriving.

Will I Return to My Phone?

For now, no. I don’t plan to buy a new one anytime soon.

Maybe at some point, I’ll get an old-school Nokia just for calls. But a smartphone?

Not unless I truly need it.

Books & Recommendations

If you’re considering stepping away from your phone, here are some books that might help:

• The 4-Hour Workweek (talks about FOMO and productivity)

• Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport

• Flow (about deep focus and happiness)

Steps to Reduce Phone Dependence

If quitting cold turkey sounds extreme, start here:

1. Turn off notifications – I’ve done this for six years, and it’s life-changing.

2. Unfollow everyone – If you’re not seeing constant updates, you won’t feel the urge to check.

3. Delete one social media app – Then another, then all of them.

4. Switch to a basic phone – Keep a smartphone for work if needed, but use a dumb phone for calls.

Trust me, life without a phone isn’t just possible. it’s better.

The less you depend on it, the more you’ll gain.

Try it. You won’t regret it.

And in this journey, the other thing that kept me focused and organized without overwhelming me was my Second Brain productivity system.

I really recommend it if you want to change your life → Get it from here

I'll update you with my experience with more in the future

Thank you for reading

Osama AKA Ols ;)