Martin Hanson says a week without a smartphone freed up time

Delfi journalist Martin Hanson spent a week without a smartphone to see how constant phone use affected his daily life, ERR reported. The experiment made him realise how automatically he reached for his phone and how much time and attention it demanded.

Hanson said on ERR’s Ringvaade programme that he felt the smartphone had taken too large a role in his everyday life. “It wants every second from you. You become physically dependent on it,” he said, describing how he would reach for it in almost any situation. He wanted to remove what he saw as a source of stress and wasted time.

To begin the experiment, Hanson had to make practical changes, including using a physical SIM card and a different phone. He said he was surprised to feel panic when he put his usual device away. At first, he could not find any phone numbers on the other device, let alone make a call.

He identified scrolling through new content and watching videos as the biggest drains on his time. “Then you realise an hour or two has gone, and you can’t understand how that time simply disappeared,” he said, particularly of evenings after work.

Without the smartphone, Hanson found more free time and began reading more. But the experiment also showed him that some phone functions were useful: he missed map apps for finding routes around roadworks, as well as podcasts and audiobooks, which he usually listened to with headphones.

The experiment took place in summer. Hanson said his phone use has not returned to its previous level since it ended, and he recommended that others try going without a smartphone to see what else they could do with their time.