Digital Training Wheels

Approaching offline slowly

Introduction

During 2019, I switched to the Light Phone 2 for about a month and gave up. The friction was too burdensome. I couldn’t check my work email, view picture messages from loved ones, or get directions to job sites. These inconveniences are a small sample of what many go through when switching to a flip phone. In our digital overload society, the route of ease and dependency is the most frequented. Tech companies have designed it so. Living in constant connection seems to be the default behavior in 2025. Although there are a few options for those who want a simpler life, it comes at the cost of convenience. Not everyone is willing to let go.

That's where we must approach this change with training wheels or experiments. Adopting a mindset of curiosity brings forth unconventional solutions. It could be the ethernet only room, where you shut off your WiFi router and connect devices by cable alone. Another option is the purchase of a GPS device. Pairing these with a flip phone can reduce navigational friction. Or a return to the iPod/mp3 player days where you curate music and own it. Regardless of the undertaking, what our brains need is space to reconsider. In their current design, smart devices overwhelm us by introducing infinite choices. We pick up our phones with the intent to check a message, but end up scrolling for a half-hour. Our creativity, productivity, and connectivity decreases by multiple exponents.¹

Catherine Price

, author of How to Break Up with Your Phone, puts it this way, "Breaking up with your phone means giving yourself the space, freedom, and tools necessary to create a new, long-term relationship with it, one that keeps what you love about your phone and gets rid of what you don’t." Today, I will go over 3 ideas that can help you approach digital minimalism in small increments.

Photo by Paul Schafer on Unsplash

The 30 App Experiment

In week 1 of my Low Tech Course, I advocate for a 30 app limitation on smartphones. Learning to use the tools that you already have is an excellent training wheel to a low tech life. Judson Brewer penned the following on The Craving Mind: "Until we define happiness for ourselves, clearly seeing the difference between excitement and joy, for example, our habits will likely not change. We will keep returning to the fruits of our desires." During my first month adopting the principles of digital minimalism, I often caved to my laptop. I had a Light Phone with me on the go, but my digital consumption shifted. Instead of spending 12 hours in front of the slab rectangle, I spent 9 on the larger screen. A net positive of sorts. However, my desires of consumption had not changed. Instead, I redirected them to a different device.

A report released a few years ago indicated that most people used 30 or so apps during any given month.² While this number may have increased, clutter is often a reason for overconsumption. Therefore, my first suggestion is for you to reduce app clutter to allow for boredom to flourish. Delete your distractions, time killers, and resolve to keep communication and work apps only. Over the lapse of a month, evaluate which apps were useful and continue pruning them. With the newfound free time, adopt a physical activity or journaling. Organizing your thoughts or taking care of your body will yield dividends for your mind. It will create a positive feedback loop that will reinforce your desire for a simpler life.

Sally Jenkins, author of The Right Call, refers to the mind-body relationship from a boxing study. In it, researchers found "that too much time on phones playing video games affected [the boxers] speed reactions in the ring.” While most of us are not athletes, our phones are causing decreases in work and life satisfaction. So give it a go, try keeping the apps on your smartphone to 30 or less.

Photo by Ravi Palwe on Unsplash

The Go Retro Experiment

I’ve written ad naseum about dumbphones. It is what I am most known for. The reason why I keep recommending them is because they work. Yet, they only work when you are organized and willing to reduce the 30 app count even further. Take Kevin, for example. He is a father of two and a remote sales rep. I met him recently at a local cafe where he was rocking a Sunbeam F1 Pro. I asked him what prompted his decision. He told me he wanted to be a more present father and spend quality time with his loved ones. He hated how distracting smartphones were.

His retro adoption was not instantaneous, however. He spent weeks creating a system that allowed him to wield a dumbphone and remain employed. The north star that guided him was a better family life. Without that clear goal, I expect that he'd return to the convenience path. Instead, he communicated clearly with his employer, took ownership of his calendar, and learned to reduce his needs to the mere basics. It took time. The Go Retro experiment may be popular among Tik Tok teenagers and other members of Generation Y. Yet what I see most often in these videos is a fascination with aesthetics. And I get it, when I pull out a dumbphone in public, it's freaking cool. The Go Retro life, though, is about function. Identifying what is sustainable in the long term regardless of how cute the dumbphone may be. The looks are bonus points.

In order to be most successful with the Go Retro approach, you have to ease into it. Try the flip phone life for a weekend. Observe what conveniences you are willing to let go of and which ones you are not. Find workarounds. Remain focused. Over time increase your go retro timeline. From a weekend to a week and so forth. It will change your perspective and your lifestyle. Kevin shared with me how he cannot go back to the smartphone life. The Sunbeam F1 worked for him. Yes, he doesn't have tap to pay, Spotify, Slack, or WhatsApp. But that's worth it to him. He learned how to use most of these with his laptop and be satisfied with that. He is not hyperconnected. He connects on his own terms.

Photo by Lucas Calloch on Unsplash

The Offline Space Experiment

Everyone needs offline spaces. Places where the internet has not polluted human connection. They are hard to find, but not impossible. This experiment takes intentionality and a desire to connect with yourself and others. Switching to a dumbphone will shield you from constant disruption, but it won't completely eliminate it. That's where renting a cabin or creating a space at home for offline comes into play. Reserve time each week to dedicate yourself to silence. Many religions have a designated period during the year when adherents focus on improving their lives. Ramadan for Muslims, Lent for most Christians. Digital minimalists can adopt something similar. A weekly, monthly, and quarterly cadence is my suggestion.

For the weekly offline dose, reserve a time for reading or painting. Distraction free endeavors will help you regain mental space for your upcoming tasks. At the monthly timeframe, attend an event technology free. Go to a museum, a lecture, or a community gathering where you can enjoy it without constant pings on your pocket. Finally, the quarterly retreat system is one that I follow. Spend a full weekend with a personal plan where you take time to connect with nature³ and create the next steps for your life.

These experiments undergird a particular mindset. The operating question that I recommend you orient yourself towards is: "Is there an alternative?" Accepting the waves of change or following the crowd is not the only option. Reflect on your desires and follow the harder path. The rewards are waiting. How bad do you want them?

1. Two studies that support the cognitive decline suffered due to smartphone distractions: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352853217300159

https://www.theseus.fi/handle/10024/877147

2. https://techcrunch.com/2017/05/04/report-smartphone-owners-are-using-9-apps-per-day-30-per-month/

3. Here are two websites that rent cabins in the woods:

https://freewyld.com/ and https://unplugged.rest/