What a Day Without Your Phone Can Do for You

Do you think you have a phone problem? Odds are, you do: 69 percent of Gen Z does, and we do too. We decided to do something about it. 

Since March 1, we have gone phone-free for one day a week. Sunday at noon to Monday at noon, our phones are off and out of sight. This change has brought many benefits, some expected, others unforeseen. Let us tell you about them, in hopes you’ll join us going forward. 

We’ve slowed down. We’ve started off our week with better sleep. This is no surprise: Excessive phone use leads to lower sleep quality. Instead of endlessly scrolling or listening to music, we’ve rested with our thoughts. It wasn’t easy at first — there was tossing and turning, wall tapping, and insatiable boredom. But the next morning, we felt rested and ready for the day ahead, a pretty rare feeling for college students. And with that expectation of restful sleep, the ensuing phone-free nights were certainly easier.

At a moment where irritability is on the rise, we’ve felt a new patience. Without our phones at the dinner table, we’re forced to talk, listen, and understand more deeply than before. We’ve found we’re less argumentative on our phone-free days, and believe wholeheartedly this is because of our newfound patience and care for others’ ideas. And it shouldn’t have been a surprise: How do you feel when a friend is scrolling while you talk to them? Likely quite irritated.

In the little moments — waiting for a friend, walking around campus, eating in Valentine Dining Hall — time slowed in a way it typically doesn’t. Without dopamine so readily available, we were forced into a presentness that quickly became enjoyable. Rather than checking our phones, we had more conversations with peers and fiddled with watches we wouldn’t otherwise wear. And when we returned to our phones, we felt far less inclined to fill the little moments with them. All it took was 24 hours.

We’ve had more human experiences. Ones that were unexpected, whimsical, and otherwise unprecedented.  On one occasion, we walked past our friend’s car and realized he had forgotten to close his car window. We were concerned and knew we had to let him know. But of course, we couldn’t text him. In the resulting wild goose chase, we felt a thrill almost foreign to us. The excitement of finally finding him was tremendous. He was grateful. There are feelings we’ve all forgotten thanks to the phone. One day without it can be all it takes to feel them again.

Days without phones were, naturally, days without earbuds. And as much as we both love music, we felt more aware without it. There is power and beauty in hearing and noticing, and with open ears, both are much easier. For me, Ido, speaking to Beckett — who is always wearing headphones in conversation (we all have that friend) — and being understood the first time was new and exciting.

Walking around as just ourselves, not tethered to a phone, has brought us countless mini-joys: We find solace amid our more stressful moments in places we’d ignore under different circumstances. We notice silly things. Hanging a coat up when we might usually drape it over a chair. Reading footnotes. Noticing a bird in a tree. Perhaps we’re just discovering the perks of a more reflective lifestyle, and you usually do all of these things. But if you don’t, we strongly believe you can experience your own mini-joys. Glued to your phone, we’re sure you won’t. 

We’d be remiss not to mention our improved academics. This is a result you likely could’ve predicted. We’re all, for the most part, better students when we leave our phones behind. Our Sunday afternoons and Monday mornings have become windows of heightened focus and increased academic output. Phones are an easy escape from frustration, which is a necessary step of the thought process and learning experience. When we removed phones from the equation, we remained in our thought processes. Our studying bore more fruit.

So consider joining Amherst Students Against Phones (ASAP) from noon on Sunday, March 29, to noon on Monday, March 30. Tell the people in your life that you’re briefly going phone-free. Give your device to a friend, tuck it away in a dresser drawer, or toss it in the bottom of your bag. Reap these same benefits we did, and possibly those we may have missed. And don’t do it alone — it’s much easier with a friend, or many of them. With your club, study group, sports team, or whoever you may choose. Spread the word and let us know how it goes!