I upgraded from an iPhone to a Flip Phone- And I love it!

For a few months now, I’ve played with the idea of ditching my smartphone for a flip phone. It’s not part of my big picture and grand dream. It’s made me a lazy thinker, and I know that. It’s encouraged me to be distracted more frequently, in conversations, and my day-to-day tasks alike. As Devin so accurately called it, it was my crutch. In public, I used it to avoid eye contact, conversation, and any possible awkwardness. And, after seeing Jillian out there, living her life to the absolute fullest with only a flip phone, I knew I could do it too. So two weeks ago, when my iPhone started having some issues with it’s phone speaker, I decided it was now or never. Here’s what I can say about upgrading from an iPhone to a Flip Phone

The Pros of a Flip Phone

• I’m walking around my house feeling less lost. I typically would walk into a room and then forget what I was doing or what I was supposed to get about 2-5 times a day when I had my iPhone on me. With my new dumb phone though, I’m a tiny bit smarter, and only doing this about once or twice a week now.
• I’m sleeping so much better. I charge my phone in the living room at night, and I no longer have a phone to aimlessly scroll though. Instead of it taking me an hour to fall asleep like it used to, I’m now out in about 10-20 minutes. So as it turns out, my husband was right, and getting my phone out of bed is definitely helping me sleep. Plus, when I wake up, I don’t immediately check my phone. My life feels much more peaceful because of this tiny little thing, and I make my bed immediately instead of getting distracted.
• Speaking of charging, this battery life is insane. When I brought my phone home, I fully charged it up in about two hours, and then used it without plugging it back in for four days before it FINALLY died. It’s also a big relief for me to not stress about my battery life like I used to. I don’t know if this is normal for everyone else or not, but I had so much fear of breaking down, getting hurt, or having an emergency, with no means to call for help. Having a phone that lasts 4x’s longer than I need it to is one of my new favorite luxuries.
• I’m paying better attention to my surroundings, and to other people. I was so horrible about trying to sneak glances at twitter when people talked to me, and that’s just beyond rude. Which brings me to my next point.
• I’m on my social media a lot less. I still have a laptop and my iPad, but those are both items to use when I make time for them, unlike my iPhone which seemingly forced me to work all my time around it. Though social media is a great way to keep up with some of my favorite people, I was spending entirely too much time on it.
• My shower is no longer my only “thinking place”. Because my thoughts aren’t being interrupted every few moments (millennials are estimated to check our phones 70 times a day) I’m thinking a lot more, and a lot deeper.
• I’m much better at replying to my emails, freelance requests, and comments, ironically. Because I have certain set times for using my tablet and laptop, I actually have time to reply to people when I read their messages. No more checking my notifications all day yet having no time or energy to immediately reply.
• I only have 11 contacts. Yes, on my iPhone I had 1200 contacts because Facebook synced up with my contact list, but 11 is greater than 1200, believe it or not. All 11 of my contacts know my name, my phone number, AND my birthday, without the help of their phones. I could call or text any of these 11 people, day or night, and they would be there for me, no matter what. That is so priceless.
• Yep, it still has a calculator, calendar, and a notebook. Nice.
• I’m not having my conversations overheard, not having my every click tracked, and not having my location recorded. No more creepy tailored ads for me. I love getting to relax and take my tin foil hat off.

The Cons of a Dumb Phone

• I have to print out mapquest directions to go somewhere new, or carry my tablet as a GPS.
• I get some super funny looks from people when I pull out my phone in public.

• I can’t google everything immediately. Sometimes I just have to live with wondering which other movies Nick Offerman played in for several hours until I can get back to my tablet or laptop.
• No music for jogging, which is a huge letdown.
• My flip phone’s camera quality is just a step above sketching out the scene yourself. Seriously, it’s soo grainy and dark. I feel like Instagram would ban me from its use if it knew what my phone was incapable of.
• I’m disconnected from social media, which needs managed if I want to keep it alive and thriving. I’ve resorted to scheduled posts and tweets to keep from going too far off the radar.

Let’s Talk!

⁃ Am I crazy for switching out my gorgeous, immaculate iPhone for a flip phone?

⁃ Would you ever go from an iPhone to a Flip Phone (or have you already)? What’s holding you back (or what do you love about it)?

⁃ How did you feel about Newsletter 3? Was that as scary for you to read as it was for me to plan and then write?

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