I’ve forgotten life without smartphones.

[Bumblingbee92]

I spend far too much time on my phone. Last week I downloaded an app to block my access to SM between 9-9.

I’ve realised I haven’t really lived without being able to fill my life without immediate dopamine hits. I remember life without the practicalities of smart phones (AA map books, having torches, physical calendars/diaries/address books etc) more so, keeping boredom away. Maybe I should get a radio? Tv in the kitchen? Magazine subscription? Keep a book in my bag?

Sounds silly but to those maybe 50+ what did people do when they sat down with a coffee? I guess I remember as a kid I did have a sudoku book I’d lay in bed and do either late at night or first thing. I do remember my gran having lots of word search books but I can’t remember her ever doing them. I’d say in the 90s my mum spent a lot of time on the landline phone chain smoking or doing the ironing in front of the tele. The house was immaculate ready for unexpected visitors.

I guess I’m just rambling as I’ve forgotten how to spend time without it.

I'm in my 50s and I don't use my phone much. I use a laptop for web browsing. Otherwise I read, watch TV, or simply think. If I'm out and about I enjoy people-watching.

I used to read a lot, I'm trying to get back into the habit of reading an actual book and not one I've borrowed on an app.

I read, watch TV, keep my journal, knit, sew, draw, make plans, people watch, just sit in the garden an watch the birds. I only use my phone to text and make calls.

What app have you used to block it and is it working well?

I try to sit down with a coffee and just stare into space with my thoughts sometimes. We’ve become so unable to just be with ourselves and it’s not good.

I was killing time in a pub last month- had about an hour. They let me charge my phone, so was without it for the hour.
I remembered how to spend time without it- I sat doodling and making notes/ lists. Sketching, people watching.
It was quite nice- I felt more “part of” the pub, rather than lost in my phone.

It was so much better. The best thing was you used to meet new people all the time.

In a cafe I just read a book or magazine.

We watch a lot of old tv series with the kids so they can see it's possible to live without phones, and what life was like without them. (My youngest doesn't have one yet and she is very good at amusing herself without tech).

I read a lot of books. I also like to just sit with a coffee and look out the window at the garden. I have hens and often sit with them just watching them cluck about. It’s lovely.
In waiting rooms and restaurants I just people watch or chat to the other people waiting. Make my kids do the same as I think it’s nice for them to be able to make polite small talk.
i hasten to add this is all just in moments of downtime- I don’t just sit around all day!

I used to daydream, read, or watch TV. I'm still very good at daydreaming. I can pass so much time thinking up vivid scenios that would never come to pass. Or planning for ones that might. Or rewriting my history, or just replying old memories. My attention span for books and TV is not as good as it used to be.

From memory if you were on your own waiting for others. Mostly smoking. But also making little origami flowers from the foil inside the fag packets. Folding things up and generally fiddling with things. Doing a newspaper crossword. Day dreaming.

I often leave mine at home when I eg. dog walk. It's relaxing to know it can't ring. I've come to dread Whatsapp- it's much too frequent and needy.
We had cameras and torches and maps for most of my life. It was better in many ways. I still carry books around though, and a diary and pen, which I couldn't do without.
I used to have a Nokia that did calls and texts and I wish I still had. I wonder if you can still get them.

I'm a bit addicted to my phone but I still like to walk and garden without listening to music or podcasts. Sometimes I just need a good long bout of silence.
I used to subscribe to puzzle magazines and Time before I had a smartphone and I used to buy a newspaper most days so I'm still looking at a lot of the same content, just in a different format.

I bought a sudoku book and a logic game puzzle book and keep them with a pen by my bed. I try and do them after I've let myself play a few browser games - usual NYT ones - Wordle, Connections etc plus Alphalock and Quordle - but if I wind down with pen and paper games I always go to bed happy - so for me it's about trying to balance it but I couldn't give up my phone games long-term now!

All through the 90’s I used to spend hours thinking “wish someone would hurry up and invent a smart phone.”

I know you wrote this a few weeks ago but the threads become active again - yes you do still get Nokias like that, there are quite a few ‘brick phones’ on the market.

Mostly I’d read. A newspaper most days, lots of magazines, and many more books than I read now. I used to listen to music a lot. A bit of tv, but with 3,4 or 5 channels there wasn’t a lot of choice. I used to go out more.

Im in my 80s so of course I can remember when phones were in big red boxes and you queued outside to use them. I was the first in my family to have a phone installed (1960s) and even then many people were not "on the phone" until much later. Of course there were only black bakelite land lines then and you had no idea who was calling until you answered. I told all my friends and family to use a code - ring 3 times, hand up - then ring back. Then I knew it was someone close to me. That was to prevent me getting involved with randoms. Even when mobiles became common (I had one in the early 90s for academic work) I did not admit to my family that I had one.

Unlike many today I dont want people to be able tor each me too easily so even with a smart phone I am not that easy to reach. I have no intention of being available 24/7 to a bunch of randome who want me to do things for them. If you make it difficult for people to reach you they will either do it themselves or ask someone else.

I appreciate the many benefits of smartphones but I absolutely despise them now. I hate my phone and the fact I have to look at it so much e.g. checking balances, emails from schools, club updates and sign ups, updates on our block of flats, the list is endless. I deleted all SM except Mumsnet as I can self moderate time on here. I miss the simplicity of life and how knowing less actually made me happier. This thread has reminded to increase the amount of time I put my phone on focus mode. It means no notifications but people can call me if it's urgent. But overall, boy do I miss life before smartphones. It makes me sounds ignorant but I only read the news briefly once a week. I was reading the news a couple of times a week and it's just depressing and was having a negative impact on my mental health so now I have an awareness but am not consuming negativity so much.

On a society level they have made us more anxious, less sociable, more lonely and less tolerant. Well it seems that way to me. Just get on any bus or train and everyone is glued to their screen.

I'm not 50 plus, so please ignore if you want to, but surely this should apply to everyone over 35? Because phones that had the game Snake as the most interesting "app" can't really be compared!
We talked to people. I wonder how many of us would have been born if our mum hadn't chatted to our dads while waiting somewhere, because they were too busy looking at dating apps?

I've been thinking this recently

So now I've been doing jigsaws, word searches and reading. It feels much better.

Plus, with the lighter nights, it's easier to get out after dinner as well for walks etc

When I go to the supermarket I always use a manned till, I hate the self service.

I like to strike a conversation up, it makes me feel normal. I detest people who are speaking on their phones whilst being served, so bloody rude.

The younger generation are pretty much glued to them, my 30 year old daughter always has been. People need to have time out from them and detox, says me who’s on mumsnet at 4am, had a nap in the day and now can’t sleep 🤦‍♀️😝

Can you share some pls?

if eating alone I am incapable of not having something to read. Now I read my laptop as I eat but growing up I read dad’s newspaper or whatever leaflets were hanging about the house. I don’t think I ever just stared into space.

A few series we've enjoyed with them over the years:

The Darling Buds of May (original version)
Fawlty Towers
Only Fools & Horses
The Good Life
All Creatures Great and Small (new version)
Byker Grove
Our Zoo

And films like The Secret Garden, Danny, Champion of the World, the Sound of Music, Labyrinth, the Goonies, Big, even Jurassic Park etc etc

basically anything depicting children having a tech free childhood and busying themselves with other things.

If anyone has any other suggestions I'd be keen to hear!