To start I would like to say that I cheated a little bit. My “Day” without a phone was actually only 12 hours. Due to poor planning it was unrealistic to go all of today without any media.

The reason I titled this “A Day Without A Phone” instead of “Media Fast” is because I really didn’t feel like I was fasting when it came to anything besides my phone. No TV, Xbox, Computer, Email, no big deal. No phone…bid deal. When I started my fast this morning, I was immediately surprised at how many impulses I had to check my phone. So much so that I decided to carry a note pad and pen around with me all day to write down notes about my impulses. Below is the basic log. Under the log you can find longer explanations about certain impulses.

11:00 I wanted to check the weather for the day. 11:15 On my way to lunch I wanted to Snapchat a picture to a friend. 11:22 I wanted to check the menu for lunch. 11:27 I wanted to text and friend and see if he wanted to come to lunch with me. 11:28 I wanted to check the weather because it was supposed to rain later that day. 11:28 I wanted to record this list on my phone. 11:35 I wanted to text another friend. 11:45 I did a routine pocket check (Phone, wallet, keys. Obviously didn’t have my phone with me today). 11:50 I wanted to check my bookstore shopping list in case there was anything I needed as I walked by Proctor. 11:55 I wanted to avoid an awkward situation by looking busy on my phone. 12:00 I wanted to waste time playing games. 12:05 Another routine pocket check. 12:10: Wanted to waste time. 12:15: I wanted to silence my phone for class. 1:30 I was bored walking so I wanted to check something, anything. 1:38 Bored waiting for treatment in training room. 1:41 I wanted to text my parents about my injury. 2:01I was bored again. 3:00 I wanted to text my parents about my injury. 3:05 I pressed the home button on my phone. 4:05 Bored in my dorm, I wanted to text my friends and see where they were. 5:55 I wanted to make a Vine post about the waterfall in Axinn. 6:03 I wanted to show a friend a new app I got. 6:53 Bored, wanted to do something. 6:55 I wanted to silence my phone for a lecture. 7:00 I wanted to silence my phone again.

11:27 Don’t worry, I didn’t end up eating alone. A friend found me at Ross.

11:28 I actually laughed at myself when I made this observation. Literally as I was writing down a note I thought to myself “I should put this in the notes on my phone.” Its amazing that my brain is so programmed to do as much as possible on my phone.

11:50 Whenever I leave a place (like my room, a dining hall, a classroom, etc.) I check my front two pockets and my back right pocket for my phone, wallet, and keys. I did that three or four times today, every time I had a mini panic attack when I didn’t have my phone.

11:55 This was another instance where I laughed at myself. As I walked towards someone that I knew enough that I should say hi, but didn’t know well enough that I would say hi, I reached into my pocket for my phone. I was hoping to pull off the “I’m busy doing something important on my phone” look but to my surprise my phone wasn’t in my pocket. Luckily, or unluckily depending on how you look at it, the other person turned the other way before we could cross paths.

12:15 I was amazed when I had to impulse to silence my phone for class because it had now been 3 hours with no phone. I figured by now I should be used to not having my phone. That was not the case.

3:00 This was kind of weird. Wanting to text my parents the same thing that I wanted to do two hours earlier. It made me wonder if I would have had a similar impulse if I had texted them the first time.

3:05 By now I was back in my room and I was getting some work done. My phone was sitting on my desk just out of my eyesight, but when I turned my head I instinctively pressed the home button, expecting some enlightening amount of activity on the screen to brighten up my day. I was greeted with darkness, my phone was off.

7:00 Another repeat impulse. This one was even weirder because the two happened within 5 minutes of each other. Thinking back, though, this happens to me normally. I usually check my phone two or three times to make sure it is silenced.

I noticed a trend relating to these impulses throughout the day. I get more impulses when I am in transition. For example, when I get up from one place and am headed to the next, or when I finish working on something and am about to start another. In addition, I found that I am way more productive when I am phone-free. Today, instead of wasting time on my phone, I read a book for one of my classes. Looking back at it now, instead of wasting about 3 hours of my day playing mindless games, I got a few chapters ahead in my reading.

In conclusion, this was a good experience to have. It really proves how much I depend on my phone throughout my everyday life. It was also eye opening to see how much of a time suck my phone is. Although I most likely won’t do this again, I definitely might turn off my phone for a few hours each night while working. I think that will drastically increase my productivity.