i did the exact same thing a couple years ago!!!! had to switch back when things started opening up again at the end of 2020, bc qr code scanning is not particularly in a flip phone’s wheelhouse, but i miss it soooo much…… also the camera was so so shitty in the most delightful way. used to have to email each photo to myself to get them on any of my other devices, in lots of 8, reverently & ritualistically & o so patiently typing out my email address each time
felt the same way, was sick of it. got a flip phone i could slip my sim card into, activated it. first two weeks i was kind of itching for the smartphone and the little dopamine hits. after a while things started changing. i started reading for fun again, my attention span improved significantly, i carried a little journal everywhere to jot down my thoughts. in every room where everyone was on their phones, i felt like i was the only person actually present, paying attention. i found so many beautiful ways to fill the time. strangers praised me for my bravery lol. when i had to drive or go somewhere i didn’t know how to get to i would write down the directions on a post it note and carry it or stick it to the dashboard. you will literally feel smarter for relying on your brain to figure things like this out instead of being on autopilot all the time. you can carry your smartphone around to use as an ipod/pocket camera and in an emergency it will still work on wifi. i asked friends to look things up for me (business hours, weather, traffic, phone numbers) when i was out and about. if people texted me id tell them to call me if they wanted to talk. it was a great decision that only ended bc i did an extended trip abroad where i needed my phone to get by, but i am going to go back to the flip again soon. i highly recommend! nothing compares to flipping a phone shut to hang up a call. it taught me how to enjoy true solitude again. do it!!!
Feb 27, 2024
Feb 27, 2024
Related Recs
Switched to an OG flip phone as my daily driver. This one is Barbie themed. Fun experiment I’m doing to limit the distraction of a smart phone.
Mar 1, 2025
⭐
re-calibrating my screen time to move between substack, tumblr, pi.fyi, youtube,,
image based social capital wasn’t made for me </3
but i love to look at beautiful pictures and read beautiful things! and i’ve decided i love that iPhones exist - what a world, and all in my pocket! how convenient! and being terrified of the phone just because tiktok exists is a silly thing to do,
you have to love things in their whole being <3
Feb 4, 2024
😃
It's annoying for taking photos, but besides that it's a really good way to make the phone a less enticing timewaster. I have done it on previous devices, but used my new phone as an opportunity to switch back to grey. We'll see how long it lasts this time, though.
Feb 14, 2024
Top Recs from @nikau
Feb 1, 2024
🫀
romanticise ur blunders & ur missteps, bc that is just part of being a creature. if u saw a duckling fall flat on its face and scramble 2 its feet u wouldn't judge the freakin duckling, u would think it was the cutest thing ever. because it is. we r just organisms in big ungainly bodies, and that is part of our charm. tripping over ur own feet is maybe the most adorable thing u can do. like awwhh u tripped on the pavement </333
this extends 2 social interactions 2. messaging exes that u miss them, making a joke that doesn't land, mishearing/not knowing/forgetting something, etc??!!?! SO SWEET. genuinely such wonderful & important & adorable things 2 do.
i think this is maybe the best thing i've ever managed 2 train my brain 2 do. it isn't foolproof but it makes life a lot gentler.
Feb 5, 2024
📝
just about everything that happens to you will be interesting to your future self/your descendants/archaeologists. immortalise your to do lists, shopping lists, packing lists, things that loved ones say, things that strangers say, the phrases you hear that would make a good band name. brainstorm what to do on the weekend, list your cravings, the songs stuck in your head, transcribe birdsong, etc. i track my periods & my finances in my journal. sometimes if i really want to take a photo of something i'll restrain myself and draw it in my journal instead. sometimes i take notes for uni in there, or draft sewing patterns, or sketch when im bored. journals are self-portraits!!!!!!!
Apr 21, 2024