I hate my phone so I got rid of it

A few weeks ago, I was scrolling through Twitter, an app that I hate, wasting my time, when I came across this post. FaZe Sway's GF, Alina Rose, gifted one of the guys her used panties during the Bob House 5v1 stream with Vexbolts. Now, I only recognize, I think, one word from that sentence, and it's the word panties. And it made me realize something. I hate my phone. I am constantly using my phone to see things that I don't want to see. Over the last few years, it has become increasingly unfun to use this thing. So,

why do I keep using it? Apps and social media have gotten much better at drawing me in. But lately, I'll break out of my screen time feeling like nothing of value happened. I feel like a lab rat incentivized by cheese. But instead of delicious cheese, I'm being fed dorky ass clips of Elon Musk. It's embarrassing. Not embarrassed. Next time you get sucked into your phone, tell the next person you see everything you were up to for a full hour of screen time. Uh, okay. So, my friend sent me this Instagram reel of a screenshot of

a tweet about Drake playing Fortnite with Ninja in 2018, and then I just sort of kept scrolling through reels for an hour, but um, I don't remember any of them. Like a lot of people my age, my smartphone has attached itself to nearly every aspect of my daily life, and it's really starting to make me feel like it's having a negative effect on me. But most people like me that daydream about getting rid of their phone just can't. Their job requires it. They have kids. They have to keep up with their Bellatro addiction. But I

don't have a real job. I don't have kids. I deleted Bilatro because I played it on the toilet too much. And then it hit me. I could be a lab rat, but in an experiment about getting rid of my phone. In 2025, what does it look like for someone in their late 20s living in a major city to completely get rid of their cell phone? Well, I'm going to find that out because over the next month, I will be locking my phone in this safe and I will not be opening it. So, without further ado,

let's find out together. [Music] I I actually um didn't do any prep for what I'm going to replace my phone with. Okay. Actually, we need to do this tomorrow. So, [Music] uh now it's beeping. [Music] Now, obviously, a phone these days is a lot more than just a phone, but everyone in this day and age needs a telephone. Many people who ditch their smartphone these days go with an old flip phone, now referred to as a dumb phone. But I got a flip phone to keep in contact with my parents when I was out riding

bikes at 12 years old. So, for the majority of my life, I've had a device in my pocket that makes me reachable at all times. I want to experience what life was like before the cell phone. So, I went even older and began looking into getting a landline. Luckily, this was pretty simple. Some major phone companies, for some reason, still offer a landline service. But what landline should I choose? There were so many decades and styles to choose from. I could go wireless. I could go with an old rotary. I could keep it to the

classics like Sleeping Goofy, M&M's Hanging Out, or Pooh. After weighing all of my options, I finally decided on a mix of everything. A corded landline that still had an answering machine and caller ID. Oh, a landline with an answering machine is not old school enough for you? That's too much new tech? Well, my ass got a Rolodex to pair with it. Now, if you're somebody whose knees still don't hurt, a Rolodex is basically your contact app, but on this fun little spinny wheel. So, I spent an hour of my day just sitting down and copying

my contacts from my iPhone onto different Rolodex cards to make sure that I had the number of everyone I needed to call over the next [Music] month. But I don't want to just call everyone. I want everyone to call me. I want to be populer. Whoa. Whoa. So, I posted my landline number on my close friend's Instagram story to inform people in my life that I wouldn't have my phone. But not everyone in my life is on my close friends Instagram. Some don't have Instagram at all, and some are finding out just now that they're

not on my close friends list. So, I began texting people in my life the information as well. Other than a telephone, I used my phone as a tool for many aspects of my life. I began replacing as much as I could think of with alternatives. I filled out a physical calendar. I got notebooks and pens to replace my notepad app. Grabbed a film camera to take photos with. Every morning, I set an alarm, so I replaced it with an old-fashioned alarm clock. Oh man, that's going to piss me off. Why didn't I get a digital

alarm clock? I'm getting rid of my phone, not becoming Ebanese or Scrooge. Also, just in case of any major texts that I may miss, I hooked up my iMessage to an old laptop Chrissy had. But being able to check texts all the time felt like cheating. So, I bought this chest clock and decided I would only be able to clock in five total minutes checking text the entire month. Wait, this thing takes C batteries. Okay, I'm not going to use the laptop until I can get some C batteries then. There was so much to replace,

but there's one I chose not to. I use my Apple Watch daily for fitness statistics. But honestly, I don't really need it to exercise. I just have to find the willpower to hit my goals without closing these colorful rings. When I got the watch, it felt like a super useful upgrade to my life. But I quickly realized that my phone was now on my wrist at all times, sometimes even sending ads for Yelp or Postmates to my own arm. So, I don't know how much I'll miss this thing. Except for Snoopy. I will miss you,

Snoopy. I'm sorry I'm putting you in a box. Lastly, I replaced the iPhone's video camera with a Sony camcorder. Looking at all the items that would replace my phone sprawled out on the floor, I decided I was prepared enough to begin. It was midafter afternoon by the time I started, so I decided to check if I had any calls or messages on my landline. I had posted and sent the number to almost everyone I know, so I was sure there was a ton of missed calls and voicemails to listen to. Wednesday 4 p.m. Hi Addie,

it's mom. I'm just calling to see if your phone works. Um, you don't have to call me back. I'll talk to you later. Bye. End of messages. Within a few minutes, I came across the first minor hurdle of not having a smartphone on me. After checking my email on my computer, I saw that there was a package down in my mail room. Now, usually to unlock the mail room lockers, I open an email on my phone and scan a barcode. But luckily, they also provide a numeric code to put into a keypad. So, I grabbed

a notepad and I wrote the code down. We're not talking about the notepad app here. I mean, I put a pen to paper like a soldier in World War II sending a letter home to his girlfriend who has now taken his spot on a major league baseball team. Or I I think that's what it was like. Honestly, the only war movie I've seen is A League of Their Own. Hello, Eddie from the future here. This is absolutely the last thing that I'm editing and I have not seen this footage until now. So, on the first

day, I walked out of the apartment. Chrissy changed the code to the safe, wrote it down, left for her apartment, and I asked her to hide it in a place I'd never check, and apparently she put it in a case of Black Ops 2, but under a disc of Jingle All the Way, too. I don't even know where she got this movie. I don't even know why she has Black Ops. For over a decade, my iPhone has been an extension of my body, an extra limb that connects me to the world of the internet. So,

the first few hours with that limb severed had me feeling its phantom in my pocket. I decided to start keeping a tally in a notepad every time I felt compelled to reach for or check it. And within those first few hours, I realized something. I was bored. Truly bored. It was rainy in LA. I had finished working for the day and didn't have everything ever made and everyone I've ever known at my disposal to fill the void. It hit me that the other times where my phone has died or moments where I've intentionally put it

away, my phone has not allowed me a true sense of boredom for the majority of my adult life. And the rest of the first day was really nice. I enjoyed the silence. We ended the night watching the movie Flow, which I absolutely loved. Highly recommend. And while I never check my phone during a movie, not getting a vibration or needing to put it on do not disturb felt great. And since I can use my computer, I decided to still log it on letter boxed. But when I walked away from it for bed, that was it.

No more internet for the night. Why did I put it so high up? The next day was an adjustment getting used to the silence, but I was already seeing benefits. Turns out it's easier to get up out of bed and go to the grocery store when you don't waste your first 30 minutes scrolling through Twitter. Or if you're experiencing one of your lowest lows, Reddit. Shivers down my spine just thinking about it. Oh, by the way, last night Chrissy and I had pasta, sausage, and Trader Joe's cheesy creamy greens and veggies. So, if anyone wants

these leftovers, they are 1 month old at the time of posting, and I will not give you my address. So, let me know if you're interested. I also got the C batteries for the chess clock. So, now I have a working chess clock and eight C batteries that will sit in my drawer forever. Later that week, a few friends and I had planned to see Mickey 17. Last week, I offered to organize getting the tickets myself, forgetting that my phone would be locked in a box. Normally, as an AMC A-List member, I reserve the ticket

on the app, show up, present my QR code to the greeter to be scanned, and suddenly I'm in. Now, obviously, I know that a cell phone is not the only way you can get into a movie theater. I worked at an AMC when I was 19. If you were at the AMC Streets of Woodfield in 2016, there's a solid chance your ticket stub was ripped by me, but I wasn't sure what the process was anymore. Part of my job used to be selling tickets, but due to online and mobile sales, that job seems to have

been phased out after quarantine. So, I went to the AMC website, saved my ticket QR code, and sent an email of it to Staples so I could print it with a code at one of their printers. I then wrote down the Staples code along with my ticket confirmation as a backup. Is this overkill? Probably. But if for some reason I couldn't prove my purchase, I'd be ruining the whole night for my friends. So, I headed over to Staples and after inputting the code from my notepad. Look at him. My beautiful boy. My pride and joy.

Be honest. If your job was scanning QR codes, would you trust one sitting on a blank page like this? During our drinks before, I was beaming with excitement to use my QR. Look at how proud I am of it. But I had no idea what was waiting for me in the theater. Now, fortunately for me, and unfortunately for labor everywhere, the AMC ticket sales employees have been replaced by kiosks. So, I headed there to scan my QR code instead of the greeter because I got nervous. Did you guys see disaster one? I froze the machine.

Broke it. I was confused. I clicked the keypad and I think I broke it. I think I left it. Luckily, there was an open machine next to me, so I made a quick recovery only for disaster, too. My QR code was printed so inconveniently that it wouldn't fit in the scanner. I desperately folded the paper as my friends waited on me for their tickets. God damn it, and it just wouldn't scan. You just cut to home. Yeah, we missed the movie. This is no. My baby boy was a disappointment. But uh you could just use

the credit card you bought the tickets with. So I I didn't need to do any of this. Didn't need a phone and could have just shown up with my credit card. Okay. Okay. So there are minor inconveniences like writing things down or bringing my credit card, but I wanted to know what it was like to traverse a city without my phone. But first, a quick word from the sponsor of this video. I'm stuck in a fly trap. I fell for the damn light bulb again. I want to thank SoFi for sponsoring the next portion of

this video. I've talked about SoFi before, the nextgen finance app that helps you bank, borrow, invest, and protect your money all in one place. They've just launched SoFi Plus, America's most rewarding financial membership allin one app. With SoFi Plus, you can unlock $1,000 plus in value across banking, investing, spending, and more. Available for just no cost with direct deposit or $10 a month. Stressing again, no cost with direct deposit. Doing some math to determine how you can best maximize on SoFi Plus benefits if you have $3,200 or more in your account. The $10 monthly fee

is 100% worthwhile with key SoFi Plus features, including 3.80% APY on bank saving balances, 1% match on recurring SoFi investment deposits paid in rewards points. SoFi Plus experiences exclusive access to VIP sports and music events, and more. And to celebrate, SoFi is giving away a total of $600,000 in prizes to help six winners achieve their top ambitions from buying a home to fasttracking retirement. Yeah, they're giving away money that you could use for this list of things or whatever you want. It would be your money if you want. I do not care. Sign up for

SoFi Plus to be entered for a chance to win. And for every friend you refer, you earn an additional entry. Head to sofi.com/edy. Scan the QR code on screen or click the link in the description to learn more about SoFi Plus and enter for a chance to win. Thank you, Sofi. Now, back to the video. I will meet you there. I need to get unstuck first. Don't help me. I need to do this myself. This morning, I woke up to a massive dropping of bird [ __ ] on my bathroom window, which is gross. But

hey, without the phone, it's something new to look at while I'm on the toilet. I guess it's no secret why someone in this day and age may begin to resent their phone. But one of my main motivators to give this a try may surprise you. A few months ago, Chrissy and I binged through all of Sex in the City. We watched through every season, movie, and even the new series on HBO. I mean HBO Max. I mean Max. [ __ ] Sorry. Now, other than having a blast with the girls and being a big hater

to my core, there was one aspect of the show that I just couldn't shake. [Music] Well, laugh. It's a joke. No, not that. Sorry. Get it while it's hot. Not that either, man. I got to text my editor. But I I don't have a cell phone. And my editor's me, so he doesn't have a cell phone either. Going to be tough. The show starts with Carrie in her early 30s. But even though I'm a young 28, not even [ __ ] close to 30, the era of life that Carrie, Samantha, Miranda, and Charlotte are in

is pretty similar to mine. The one glaring difference, other than being in LA instead of New York, is their lifestyles without smartphones and social media impacting it. Of course, this isn't a staple of the show, but the times the show belonged to. The new series has to adapt to our new world just like we do. Carrie is a podcaster. She tweets. Everyone uses their smartphones. But even though I was always aware that times had changed, it didn't feel so drastic until I watched the original show. No dating apps, no creating a second version of yourself

online for the world to perceive. On a night in, Carrie writes, Miranda watches TV, Charlotte reads either the Old Testament or the New Testament, depending on what season you watch, and Samantha gets laid. They don't pull out a little computer that shows them what everyone they've ever met is up to at that exact moment. Charlotte doesn't do the dishes with her AirPods in catching up on the Twitter drama between the richest man in the world and Hassan [ __ ] Samantha doesn't watch the Costco guys on Fortnite Friday. If it's something that we really like

a lot, that's five big booms. Something we're not that crazy about could go down to one and then anywhere in between. And they also call each other for plans. They don't use a GPS. They agree on a time to meet somewhere and then they just like hope that it all works out. And that's what struck me most of all. It was the intentionality in making plans and navigating a city. If you're older watching this, feel free to roll your eyes because this was what the world was like until very recently. But because I'm such a

young, fresh 28-year-old, I have never in my life made adult plans without the convenience of a smartphone. If I want to drive or Uber somewhere, I don't really need to know where to go because the GPS will handle it. If I want to take public transit, my phone will give me live details on what to do. If I'm running late, I can text and update the person. I have Google at my fingertips to answer any question that I could ever think of. So, what do I actually do when I make plans? I might as well

get to a dinner and have the waiter cut my spaghetti for me. There was just something about the way that the girls went through life that just felt more grown up to me. I couldn't help but wonder, has my phone kept me from becoming a fully capable adult? Ready for my carry night out, I needed to call one of the girls. looking to have fun cocktails and a yap sesh, I knew just who to call, my friend Jordan. I planned on taking the bus because even though I could Uber there from my desktop, I'd need

to cheat and ask Jordan to call my Uber home on the way back. But to take the bus, my two options were change, as in coins, which I do not have because I'm not an 1800's prospector ordering a whiskey at a saloon, or the public transit app on my phone. Oh, my phone. [ __ ] I don't know if you guys know this, but I locked my phone away. After a quick search, I saw that you can get a physical tap card in LA at mostarmacies and grocery stores. So, I walked over to CVS and

couldn't find a tap card anywhere. I asked the manager if they sold tap cards, and he said, "We should, but I'm not sure that we do." After confirming that they didn't, he was so helpful and told me you could get them at the train station. I thanked him and said I needed it for the bus. And he goes, "Oh, you could just get the app on your phone." My dumb ass goes, "Right, thank you. I'm I'm doing this thing where I don't have my phone, but thank you." What the [ __ ] was that supposed

to mean to him? Anyway, I went over to Ralph's and yet again, no card until I asked an employee and she walked me over to their work desk, busted out a dusty fanny pack from a bottom drawer, and got me a card. The whole process seemed like there hadn't been a physical tap card purchase in years. This whole ordeal gave me just enough time to get ready and call Jordan to let him know what time to meet. Awesome. All right. Well, then hopefully nothing goes wrong. Uh, if it gets to be like, you know, too

late, just give up on me. I'll go home. Okay, that's actually that's true. You're the perfect person for me to [ __ ] this up with. All right, I'll see you there. Next, I headed over to my computer, went to Google Maps, clicked on the transit direction to get to the bar, and wrote down the specific bus routes I'd need to get there. My bus was leaving very soon, so I had to rush out the door. Now, depending on where you are, who you are, and what age you are, I am not recommending that you

also travel alone without your phone at night. Smartphones have offered a lot of safety to people who are by themselves. So, just know that I wanted to do this, and unfortunately, it's a bit safer for me than for some of you. Look, it's no surprise from my personality, my writing, and my general vibe that I am an overthinker. So, on my way to the bus, anxious thoughts were flying by. What if I miss my stop? What if the bus doesn't come on time? What if I get lost and leave Jordan waiting? What if the bus

explodes? And normally, I can quell these thoughts by getting confirmation on my phone. But shockingly, without the option to confirm, I was forced to face these thoughts head on. And you know what? It was super [ __ ] easy to ride the bus without my phone. They say the goddamn street names out loud. Why was I worried? I got off the first bus, cross the street to the next stop and waited for the second. No checking Twitter, just raw dog. No headphones at the bus stop. Hopping on the next, I rode the bus toward drinks.

[Music] At one point, I wanted to make sure I was headed in the right direction. So, I asked a stranger, and he was super nice and helpful. And before he got off the bus, he nodded and fistbumped me. Not quite as good as nervously googling and having Gemini tell me the wrong [ __ ] answer, but I'll take it. And as I became a tiny little speck in the rear view of the Echo Park Pico Union Line, I turned to walk toward [Music] drinks. I finally made it there and lo and behold, agreeing to meet

at a place without five text updates still works just fine. Jordan and I had a great time yapping our hearts out. Two young philosophers in a heated debate, going toe-to-toe in the marketplace of ideas. I of course was on the right side of whatever we talked about and Jordan was in the wrong. But his British accent kept giving his words an authority that made me insecure and angry. Also, we did need to use Jordan's phone to get my bus route back because I did forget to look it up. Is someone telling me a bus route

with their phone cheating? I I I didn't use my phone, but I sort of used someone else's. I don't know. A few hours and one too many cocktails later, Jordan walked me to my bus stop like a true gentleman. It came earlier than expected and without my knowledge, Jordan captured my dorky ass scurrying to the door. On the ride home, it was really starting to hit me just how normal most aspects of my life felt without a phone. Sure, it was a bit inconvenient, sometimes a little bit dangerous. But is the harm that screen time

and algorithms inflict on my brain really worth the convenience it brings? Well, I'll be honest. I've had one too many cocktails to find an answer to that. I also was on Metro TV. You guys ever watch Metro TV? It's a show about you taking the bus. You see me there? Look closer. There I am. Every time I've mentioned to a friend that I was getting rid of my phone, one of the first things they'd say would be, "Oh, are you going to start reading?" First, yeah. Second, I was reading. Okay. Not books. Maybe. Does it

count as reading if I read a tweet from Disgusting Film that told me young Sheldon is returning to do a sweep stakes competition for the live action Minecraft movie? Mazes, puzzles, panic attacks. You're in charge. Whooping monster butts. That's my purview. Plus, $500 daily cash prizes. Whoa. Oh my. Watch YoungSheldon week nights for the word of the day. Text it to 55225 or dig into youngsheldon.com. No biggie. A Minecraft movie in theaters April 4th. I used to read quite a bit, but as my phone addiction has developed, most of the time when I could pick

up a book, light a candle, and relax in a chair, I instead choose to burn disturbing world news into my retinas while I sit hunched over my table or hunched over on my toilet or hunched over on a bench. But after days of phone detox, I wanted to see how well my attention span fared toward uninterrupted reading. About a year ago, I was at a bookstore with my friend Ian when he mentioned he had recently read the novel Flowers for Aldron. I bought it that day, planning to read it so we could discuss and have

a connection over it. And then it sat collecting dust next to my Wii U for 11 months. Didn't get all the dust. Maybe one more blow. Damn, that [ __ ] is baked on there. So, I lit a candle, got cozy, and began reading. And you know what? It was way easier to focus. I got sucked into the book, and before I broke any concentration, I'd read over a 100 pages. Now, I had plans that night, so I needed to rush out of the house, but I didn't have a damn bookmark. Oh, perfect. Finally, a

use for my QR. Later that night, I came back and read another 100 pages. Now, of course, people read a lot with their phones all the time, but for me, that vibration of a text or social media notification or an ad from Uber Eats or Postmates feels like somebody knocking at my window trying to distract me and get me to stop reading. Over the next 10 days, I started to go about my everyday life pretty naturally without any major issues. I could go for walks by myself or with my brother and give 100% of my

attention. I did my chores in my free time without my AirPods, sometimes in silence or with a vinyl, maybe a podcast on my PS5 on occasion, but I didn't crave it. I was working on a video for the other channel I run with my brother, and I found myself procrastinating less, enjoying work more. Everything just started to feel normal. It's not like I shut out all of the internet, either. I still followed the news and checked social media on occasion, but it didn't follow me in my pocket when I stepped away. The swirling mass in

the back of my brain that the internet seems to occupy had completely severed and I didn't miss it. I was embarrassed at the thought of how often in the past I would check my phone, especially when I wasn't really waiting on anything. Times where I felt anxious in public, when I wanted to fill the silence, and the worst of all, involuntarily checking. I was becoming a normie. And I liked it. I read books more. I sat in silence. I enjoyed the eclipse and didn't text it to anyone. I spent an hour on a rainy night

just watching the rainfall, enjoying the sounds of drops hitting the pavement. I mean, what the hell? What's wrong with me? The next morning, I thought, surely the rain washed away the bird [ __ ] right? Huh? Guess not. Okay, well, maybe it'll go away on its own. Or maybe I should clean it. But I I'll get to it later. Or maybe it'll go away. Navigating the world without the help of a cell phone made it seem smaller, less intimidating. I found myself asking strangers for help a little more and was less anxious when they spoke

to me. There was only one time where I checked my texts on the MacBook. And after that, I decided I didn't even need it. Man, I bought those C batteries for nothing. After just a half of a month without my iPhone, I started to have the thought, uh-oh, I don't know if I want this thing back in my life anymore. And moving into the next week, I continued to feel the same way. I didn't want the experiment to end after 30 days and was looking for some advice when I realized I knew just who to

ask. I wasn't the only person who had tried out different lifestyles for a video. So, I decided I would try to get some answers from an expert. Zack. Zach from the Dry Guys. Hey, hold this. Zach, I have a question. Eddie. Yeah. Eddie, have you ever tried something for a video that you liked so much that uh you wanted to keep trying it after the video was done? What are you doing in my house? Just answer the question, man. Um, pottery was cool. Okay, thank you. Okay, lock the door. About halfway through the month, I

had mostly adapted to life without the phone, but I wondered how other people would adapt to me. I had sort of assumed when it came to others, the landline would be a fun novelty. People would give me a call or two within the first week and then just wait for me to get my phone back so we could go back to normal. But to my surprise, that hasn't been the case at all. Hi, Eddie. It's mom. Hey, Eddie. Uh, it's Jarvis. What a wonderful um voicemail you got there. It's time to walk. Call me back.

Eddie, we're on our way. You better get You better get ready. We're on our We're on our way. Yay. All right. Bye. Hey, Eddie. How you doing? Big dog. Hey, this is Zach. Mr. Ber back. Need to reach you. I hope it's done well. I hope you haven't gotten lost because of lack of Google Maps. Hey Eddie, this is your friend Ash. Yes, I'm sorry. I was given this number for if I have an incorrect number. Please let me know. Happy Thursday. Talk to you soon. We were trying to reach you to to do that

dinner that we talked about. A big part of why I kept my phone clutched to my chest for years was because I felt like I needed to be on call for people I know 24/7. I had feared that this experiment would annoy people, that it would make me more work. But it turns out everyone I asked said it was a breath of fresh air. They liked calling. They liked leaving messages and not having to worry about texting back. And I like coming home to voicemails. I like picking up and hanging up the phone. When I

say bye, I get to end the call with emotion and a physical feeling. instead of the new reality I've gotten used to where you say goodbye, there's an awkward pause, and then the 1 hour and 30 minute taked down on the beast games you were watching begins to play again. Personally, with a smartphone, I am way more likely to accidentally leave a text unanswered, to cancel or delay plans when I'm not feeling up to it. With the landline, though, I have to talk to people when I'm feeling like I don't want to leave the house.

Hearing the voice of a friend excited to hang out washes that away, while a text about plans feels like work to me. I'm realizing that there are a bunch of small antisocial behaviors that I believed were becoming part of my personality, but is more so my relationship with a computer in my pocket that I'm addicted to. However, the landline isn't all fun calls from friends and family. There is an aspect to it that has been driving me [ __ ] crazy over the last two weeks. Spam calls. Spam calls and scammers are hitting my line

more than anyone else. During business hours of the week, these [ __ ] are calling me sometimes 30 to 40 times a day. But when the landline is your gateway to the outside world and social life, you have to get up and check who's calling when it's ringing. So, hundreds of times over the last two weeks, I've jogged over to my landline just to see that it's spam. Yeah, this is Eddie. How are you doing? Good. Sorry. Was your name Eddie or is my name? My name is Eddie. My name's Eddie as well. No, your

name is not Eddie. It's not. I get a call again and it's more spam. You're paying high rates on your electricity bill and what we are doing is showing people a free no obligation consultation and demonstration with our solar program. Devastating consequences for you. This call is regarding your Medicare as you already have Medicare parts A and B both. So why you lying to me? Your name is Eddie. Our records show you may owe over 10,000 in unpaid tax debt. This could result in leans on your property. Possibility for a hardship elimination. Message deleted. Message

deleted. Message deleted. [Applause] disaster now. Message deleted. End of messages. So, yes, other than the spam calls, this has so far been a mostly peaceful growth experience for me. Getting rid of my phone has been the best thing I've done all year. Blah blah blah. Let's talk about all the little ways that not having a phone has pissed me off. One, I can't use certain apps that require a mobile phone number. I got invited to a party and had to find out about it through someone else because I can't log into my Partyful. Partful. Partyful.

Partyful. Partyful is the main way a lot of people I know send invites to parties now. And when you're throwing a party and someone ignores an invite, you're not going to call them and ask them if they got it. Of course they got it. They have a smartphone. So if I know you and I missed your birthday, blame it on the safe, not me. Two, there are a few useful tools on the iPhone that don't involve the internet. Like tool belt type tools. Yesterday, I was hanging frames on my wall and I couldn't use the

level on my phone. Last week, the power went out and I realized just how much I had gotten used to having a flashlight on me at all times. Three, I miss having a camera on me always. I love recording a little video of a squirrel or grabbing a funny photo to text someone. I've had to make peace with the fact that sometimes I've just got to enjoy a sunset instead of snapping it and sharing. On one hand, sure, it gives me a nice moment to take in and appreciate what's in front of me. But on

the other hand, I can't use it as a moment to connect with someone, so it's 50/50. Four, some friends are texters, some are callers. Friends that are texters have not really called my landline. They may have died. Five, weather app. No weather app unless check computer. Don't know how hot it is. Six, I'm using my computer way more often, for sure. Sometimes I'll still waste time on it like I do my phone, but it feels much more manageable when I can walk away. And lastly, seven, I'm hearing, hold up, sorry, I thought I heard my

phone ringing. Everyone knows about the phantom vibration you occasionally feel in your pocket when your phone is sitting there. That has disappeared for me. But I am now hearing phantom ringing in songs, in movies, any similar tone has me perking my little ears up to check. But how does that all stack against crippling anxiety from social media and ruining my attention span? Well, like I said, I didn't have a level on me. So, one of the things I've enjoyed over the last few months is keeping up with current TV. Mainly White Lotus, Severance, and a

little bit of Formula 1 for all my Max for Stappen heads out there. And that part of my life was mostly unchanged, except I heard discourse about the shows through my friends opinions and what they had seen online. TV shows, politics, internet drama, basically everything that I'm algorithmically served are constantly placing people online into in-groups and outroups. Like if you disagree about a White Lotus episode in person, you're just hearing another perspective. But when a group of people have a different opinion on Twitter, it feels like large swaths of strangers are not like you over

a micro diversion of an opinion about a show from Ned Schnebly. You shut up. Shut up. Did you both just cut it out for one second? Even though I was aware of this, time in the real world and away from my phone had me connecting with people in a much more positive light. Again, still paying attention to the news, so not saying everything's fine. Far from it. But not getting mad at invisible strangers and bots a thousand times a day had me feeling a way I didn't in a long time. And during my final week,

Chrissy was out of town catsitting, which made me pretty unsure of how my final days alone would go. More recently, when I find myself alone in my apartment for an extended period of time, I've been increasingly frustrated with how much I use my phone, especially before bed. Sometimes internally screaming that I should put it down, but scrolling through Tik Tok for some reason. What's it going to give me? But during this week, I got to do so much more regular chilling without my screen time. I watched more movies, read more books, exercise, cleaned, all [

__ ] that I normally do, but none of it was rushed because after work, I didn't waste a bunch of time on my phone. Also, speaking of chilling, I watched YouTube only on the TV for the last month, and it ruled. Shout out to everyone who watches YouTube on the TV. I am thinking of you when I'm making videos. I appreciate you. If you're watching on something else, that's fine, too. Also, shout out to laptop on a bed or laptop on a table. I can't hate on you for that. So, I think it's safe to

say that my attention span has been completely rewired over the month. But without the magic of texting, I was communicating with people way less. It was quiet by myself, and I couldn't mask it with a podcast or music to keep me company 24/7. So, I needed to get out of the apartment. Friday, 2:45 p.m. Hey, little man. Uh, it's Katie. I'm calling to let you know that we're going bowling at 900 p.m. Uh, be there. See you. See you then, dog. This time when I took the bus, I did write down my directions just in

case, but I've been retaining information for a full month without relying on my phone, so I just didn't look. I know where I'm going. And after arriving at the bowling alley, it was time to bowl. And yes, please. Yeah. Okay. Just press the thing. What followed was the greatest bowling I've ever seen. Strike after strike, nobody could be stopped. They almost kicked us out cuz they thought we were like cheating or something. Something about magnets, but we were using the balls that were there. Honestly, I'm like freaked out with how good we did. That's got

like got to be connected to my not having my phone or something in some way, right? I I don't know. But after some prolevel bowling, we decided to get some food. I thought it was just Yeah. Oh, you're doing Okay, you're dancing. Yeah, keep going. Can you do it again? I don't think you had to record it. Yeah. Can you do more? That's just like not enough. Like back flip. Back flip. No. Suddenly, after some delicious food and a lot of drinks, it was 2:00 a.m. Everyone was nice enough to see me off at the

bus stop, but I told them I was fine waiting alone. Then it was just me and Los Angeles at 2 in the morning. [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] With only one day left, I decided it was time to dust off an old aspect of my childhood and put it to the test as an adult. When I was a kid, I saw the takeover of portable GPS's for driving. At first, they were purchasable on their own, then a feature on my rich friend's dad's car. Hm. What? You thought he was the bread winner? Well, it was actually

my friend's mom who bought the car. Hm. Sounds like it's time to look inward about what we assume, I think. But before the GPS eventually arrived in every pocket in America, as you're going, we'll be monitoring the traffic. We'll give you your ETA. If the traffic slows down in front of you, we'll update your ETA and then we'll start looking to reroute you around it to find a faster route. And if we do, we'll offer it to you. There was a website that would plan your route to print so you could take it with you

on your drive. That website was mapquest.com. Tony and I were going to follow Map Quest to Huntington Gardens and enjoy my final day of silence while the flowers were in bloom. So, I routed our trip, sent my PDF to Staples, walked over, and man, I really should have [ __ ] bought a printer for this. You ready? Hold on. [Music] You good? Yeah. Oh, you can't use your We're doing Map Quest. What do you mean? Well, you just can't use I'm doing like a no phone thing. I want to listen to me. Will you just

[ __ ] enjoy my company for once? The sound of my voice. So, just like traveling by bus, reading, prolonged silence, going to the movies, and taking landline calls, using Map Quest is way easier and less daunting than I thought. Dude, you just pay attention to the street signs and use your brain like 2% more. But we um we we messed up a little bit. So, we were on Temple Street and we were supposed to get on Silver Lake Boulevard. Now, it said a slight right and here's the sign. It clearly says that if you

go straight, you're on Silverlike Boulevard. You take a left, you're on Temple Street. But we were kind of talking and there was a further left. So, we were like, "Ah, Temple. That one looks like it's straight enough." So, we went left on Temple, but we eventually found Glendale. So, we thought we had the directions correct until it said to take a slight right on Fletcher, 3 mi from the turn, and.3 mi from the turn was Echo Park Lake. And last I checked, the ramp for the two is not submerged in Echo Park Lake. Now, if

you drive in Los Angeles, you might be thinking, "How'd you [ __ ] that one up?" This is like a very famous and commonly known spot for LA driving. Well, Tony and I were deep in discussion about the fact that in our Spy Kids video, we accidentally called Fugley's flugals, so you can see now that it was pretty important. But even then, it was fine. There's street signs for the freeway, so we just kept driving until we saw a sign for the two. After that, it was smooth sailing. Overall, our mistake made us like 10

minutes late. [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] You know, there have been a set of questions that I get from people asking about this whole thing that are mostly the same. How are you going to get around? What do you do if you miss a text? What if you get lost? But those questions also come with a set of similar statements. Oh, I bet you'll feel so much better. You'll have so much more time on your hands. I'm so jealous. And that's because at the start of this, I along with you probably knew where this would go

to a degree. I'm not exposing a problem here that was hidden in the shadows. We all know it. We feel it every day. But those questions that kept me from doing it before didn't turn out to be that daunting. Sure, occasionally I did have to rely on someone else's phone for information or a text, but other than that, my life felt so normal. I think we're living in a time where our minds and our attention are such a currency, we need to start working out our brains like a muscle. And yes, that can be writing,

reading, navigating, but I think you also need to build your own silence, your own peace. And that peace hurts the money of things keeping you on your phone. So the day will not come where Elon decides you need a break from Twitter for your mental health. There will not be a moment where people stop capitalizing on your anger, joy, sadness for their own profit. It's up to you to rip yourself back into reality as much as you can and take back what is rightfully yours. You. As for me, it was almost time to unlock the

safe. I watched the countdown clock creep closer to zero. But instead of relief or confidence, I found myself filled with the same desperation for a solution that made me do this whole thing in the first place. What will my relationship with my phone be like after this? Will I lock it up every once in a while? Will I delete most of the apps and just use my computer when I need it? Will I lose everything I learned here and be stuck scrolling before bed again? After spending a portion of my youth in a cloud of

buzzing noise, I had hoped to step outside of it, to turn around and be shocked at how much it had crept into every corridor of my brain. And that is exactly what happened. But I know that beyond a month-long experiment, it's unrealistic to go back to a world without the phone entirely. The thing is, I've known for years that the way I was beginning to use it was not good for me. I kept telling myself that I'd make a change. And until now, I never truly committed to that. So, while I have no idea what

my relationship to this thing will be in the future, I do know that it will not be the same as the past. It turns out the only way to stop using your phone too much is to just stop using it too much. It's like bird [ __ ] on your bathroom window. You know, you should clean it at some point, but hey, it gives you something interesting to look at on the toilet, and you can hope the rain will wash it away or that a crow never dropped a gross load on your window in the

first place. But if you really truly want it to get clean, you're going to have to roll up your sleeves and do it yourself. [Music] Zach, can I pitch you three Try Guys ideas? First one, uh, Keith Eats the Menu. Uh-huh. But like Keith eats a Blu-ray copy of the movie The [Music] Menu. End of messages.