I tried to not use my phone for 30 days. These are the results of the experiment. The best way to reduce screen time: clear-space.app.link/nate (trust me, it works) Instagram ➤➤➤ / nateobrienn Twitter: / nateobrienn
Hi everyone; This was such a fun experiment. Should I make more videos like this? Also, check out Clearspace, it would mean a lot to me :) clear-space.app.link/nate
very informative to watch your video. Yes it be cool to make a similar one like this. And I agree with what you said when one can't find their phone one panics. Where's my phone where's my phone. I always think to myself it's just a phone but it's a gateway to the Stars. And even though your goal was 30 days and you only did two weeks. That's still a major accomplishment. Cuz I've tried to see how long I can go without using the phone and I have only managed to do it for one day before I break down and have to call somebody or text somebody or send an email or do some research on the internet. So congrats for the two weeks of Silence
I skipped RU-vid for six weeks and I got so much more done in life. Thinking of doing that again. Live life, instead of watching other people living there lives.
I just recently finished a similar experiment in my own life, but instead of not using my phone it was not using social media or watching RU-vid or Netflix. After 2 weeks, I feel SO MUCH BETTER! My anxiety is way down. Feeling calm & relaxed is way up. And I have been more productive in these 2 weeks than I've been in the last 2 years. I'm never going back.
I've been working on this same experiment since 1974, and I must say it's going great - I have lived my entire life without a cell phone. I love walking about the world being more aware of my surrounding and genuinely engaged with those around me. I strongly encourage it for those who can pull it off. Cell phone are not as essential as so many would like to think they are. I access the internet on a laptop for work and for personal communication a few times a day; I don't need to be plugged in to everything all the time, and I like not being on a digital leash.
Yeah. We have a brilliant brain. It is degenerating with the phone. Humans have developed and evolved without this. It's not natural. That's why it will destroy humanity as we know it.
A lot of Gen Z is doing over 8 hours per day, which over the course of 60 years would be 20 years of life spent on a phone.. keep in mind that the other 20 years would be spent sleeping. So in reality they might only have 20 years of experiencing life. This is why I try to use my phone simply as a tool rather than as a distraction
I was born in 1955. I embrace technology and love it! I use it extensively and well. But......I also remember decades of living without immediate access to a phone. I remember as a kid riding my bike all around town and just being out on my own. I remember if I needed a phone simply finding a pay phone or going into a business and asking if I could use their phone to call home. I remember wondering about things and making the effort to look them up in the library. I remember learning to use maps and asking for directions. I remember carrying a book with me for waiting rooms and other times. (In fairness, I still do this as i read about 3-5 books a week.). Last year I did the social experiment of leaving my phone intentionally at home. It was good. I enjoyed it to the point where when I travelled to Europe I left my phone at home. That appalled my friends but I found it enjoyable. Do I still carry and use my phone? Of course! Did I reduce my time? Absolutely. I went from 4+ hours a day to less than 2 hours on average. Balance in life adds joy.
@@ladybird491 I understand your point but part of that time was me logged into a course on Impressionism for an hour. Some of it was time I was chatting with my best friend who lives in England. We chat online on our phones for about 20 minutes a day. So, you say "it's too much". I say it's just right for my needs.
Mobile phones are useless. I addicted. The only thing I would say phones are good for are readi g and phone g friends. The instance gratification is what makes them a pr9blem . I beleive they where made to moniter and control us by the sick people who run human interaction.
Nate I did it for 2 years … living between the Bahamas and Alabama… no one could’ve reach me that’s was annoying but after 30 days you’ll figure it out … just in June I buy a phone and I hate it 😫 so imma sell it and buy a laptop
The phone is not neutral. I'll give you a hint; it enables social media to be accessed all the time, wherever you are, whatever you're doing. Before you could only access social media from a desktop computer, which meant you could not always access it.
@@lait_et_sang there's a theory that the internet was invented with the intention of eventually routing all transactions, interactions and conversations in society through the internet, so that all of this information can be monitored and recorded for the purpose of augmenting the level of power (knowledge is power) that the ruling class has over the greater population. If this theory is true, then the internet can't be neutral either.
@@jenniferpearce1052you're acting like its gen z that's replacing everything with electronics, its the rich older people making and pushing these things
@@Lol-tr6cu that’s true but gen z are the main ones that are letting this continue to happen, i’m 19 and i’ve tried to talk to people my age about social media and phone addiction and they just laugh or dismiss it, they don’t care. when i had tiktok i saw so many people bragging about how short their attention span was or that they spend 10 hours a day on their phone. these companies are getting money from people just feeding into and supporting their bs, especially tiktok like i remember people were fr crying bc tiktok was gonna be banned 😭 i don’t think things will ever get better unless ppl actually start caring and waking up
I wait until 12:00 pm every weekday to check any news, RU-vid, or social media sites. It's a small change that's had a huge impact on my productivity and overall mood on workdays.
Great idea! I try not to grab my phone first thing in the morning, I started wearing a watch again (a non smart one), I don’t check my phone while I get ready (it delays me). I do chores or a hobby in the evening, with my phone charging in the bedroom. I never use my phone when friends are around (unless we need to look something up) and never have. I try to just sit and watch people or my surroundings in the train, waiting, at a café. My phone is in my bag on silent during work. But I live alone and since Covid I’ve been online a lot more… So I really need keep an eye on my use. When I’m bored, RU-vid and Reddit are my go-tos…
trying to "control" is the first stage of addressing an addiction. I'm retired and husband is still working and I have fallen into excessive phone time. I justify it by listening to Christian content and researching topics of interest, but I get sidetracked by the constant "suggestions'.
Im on month 2 of no social media. (I don’t really count youtube as social media. It feels amazing. No gossip lol, no BS. Just what matters in life. I use my time to read. Ive read 4 books, and gone out so much.. 🥰
I knew someone who still used an original flip phone to this day. The phone company finally forced him to upgrade because they were cutting off the cell service upgrading to 5G. I respect this guy for going that long.
4G networks will be with us for a long time. There's no immediate need to switch to a 5G phone. I still use 3G, 4G dumbphones. I won't be forced to use a specific device just because someone wants me to. I'm perfectly willing to ditch cell phones entirely. I'm retired and in my 60s so it's easy for me to make such a statement.
I’m in my 20’s and went back to a dumb phone for probably 5 years now. I would entertain getting a “smartphone” again for certain reasons but in general I feel it has been a net positive for me.
My husband! Same thing. He has a new flip phone, he doesn’t text or answer calls unless he recognizes the number.🤣🤣🤣🤣 he only calls me. He never listens to voicemails 👍
Young man, I have lived 70 years without a smart phone and intend to keep it that way because I don't like what the addiction does to people, - and it is now recognised as an addiction - and that includes those my own age. Only this week I saw that there are circa 3000 road deaths in the USA attributed to cell phone use. The reality is, smart phones are making people weak, feeble minded, dependent and mentally ill but perhaps what is most scary is that they are the perfect instrument of control of the masses. You mentioned cash going - if cash is replaced by digital currency then the powers that be have total control over your life. Here in the UK there is a push back against getting rid of cash as more people are beginning to realise what it means. When I was your age, there was much worry about sublimation on tv i.e. a single frame o propaganda inserted into a broadcast that the conscious mind doesn't register, but the subconscious mind does. Smart phones don't have the same regulation as tv did.
It makes me so sad to possibly think that I will not be able to live without a phone in 10 years. I have been struggling with social media addiction ever since I was 11 years old and now that I'm 15, I am realizing how bad this is for us. I have been constantly trying to get out of this loop, but it makes me somewhat hopeless to think that it will be a necessity in the future. I really don't know what to do anymore
Love that you practically try things yourself and share with us, Nate! I agree that irritation and anxiety arise from phone usage. No social media apps on the phone is a game changer for me, also just doing more things to forget you even have a phone - time in nature, camping, time with loved ones!
Hi @NateOBrien I am going to do this experiment this next month. Living on the road this last year and half I totally understand what you mean when you say "allowing yourself to be bored." There's a certain bliss in not refreshing, scrolling, and consuming content and searching your subconscious instead. Cheers for the inspo mate!
I have stopped using my phone as much because I decided to replace my digital planner with a physical one. I honestly prefer it because it creates a clearer headspace for me. As for meeting up with friends and what not, I have come to memorize my city pretty well. Unless I am traveling to a completely new area, I would be on the fence of not having a phone in case an emergency arises😅 As always, great video Nate!
This young person is very smart. He has realised something a lot of us need to relearn...The number of people walking around with the focus totally on their phone is hazardous to their own safety. We have really lost sight of what's important.
It's refreshing to see someone so young be so opened minded and thinking about how precious life really is... good for you and may God bless you. Noticing what goes on around you when you haven't got your phone is what life was like all the time before these 'life stealers' were invented.
He’s not open minded though. He thought he uses his phone too much then actively tried to avoid it, not realizing until he tried it that there’s functional things all over the place that are made inconvenient by not having your phone on you. He did something he suspected was the case with phone use and then it was confirmed.
Loved this video - so much genuine insight about a very interesting topic! Thank you for sharing your experience with this experiment. I'm a 90's kid myself, so I also grew up as technology {specifically cell phones} evolved at an insanely rapid rate. Though there are most certainly many blessings that come along with these evolvements, sometimes it can be difficult to completely disconnect... especially from social media platforms. Your life in the outdoors looks so dreamy and therapeutic. Wishing you well!
I remember reading something like "Imagine if Benjamin Franklin had had Twitter. Would he have invented all these things?" I try very hard to not be on my phone! But I still get about 2 hours a day which is still too much for me... it's 14h less of working on my goals! I always do good for a while and then go back to my old ways. The 15 years thing was really shocking. Really eye opening video!
About the 15 years thing - We also can subtract 8h/day we're sleeping, it's 1/3 of our lives. So if you live till your 90yo wo've only lived for 60 years. Then many people work the full 8h/day on a job they don't like. That's another 8h/day of non-quality hours a day. (Great if you like youre job and you DO feel you're living your quality hours when you work). But basically 24h - 8h sleep - 8h work = 8h of FREE time we've left. Only 30 years of quality time if we live till 90. That thought kinda scared me recently even more. Let's make that 1/3 of our life we're actually living count!
I really appreciate that you tried this because it's almost a bygone era to be phone free. (As mentioned). I work with older adults (85+) and many of them are far more social and openly curious about everything than younger people. Some do NOT want to use Google, they just Really want to speak to a person who is knowledgeable enough to share their skills and actually engage. With my cohorts, We focus on trying to answer Everything with our phones. I'm going to miss this last of The Greatest Generation group. Heck, I already do.
Greatest Generation until you work in customer service. They are always the biggest assholes. Working in the medical field, the older coworkers are also always the worst. Most likely to treat you as less than. Younger people are always far kinder, patient, and understanding in my experience. Social media has been beneficial in some areas.
@@Shmyrk if you work in a place where you can just talk to them and share experiences I’m sure it’s much better. But if you’re serving them they are incredibly entitled. (Not all of course, there are always some sweethearts, but if someone is an asshole it’s ALWAYS an older person)
I've gotten more out of this video than any other one you have ever done. I AM addicted to youtube videos. I am going to try staying off of it. Congratulations for making it to two weeks! I like that you said it's good to be bored. Thank you!
Phone addicts make it really easy for me to look good at work. I also have a way higher quality of life then they seem to. Unfortunately, 90 plus % of People, are addicted to technology. This puts me in the black sheep camp. Oh well, I can internally validate, just makes for lonely life. A lonely fish, in a sea full of squid.
Before smartphones you didn't need little notebooks because you were able to remember your thoughts, feelings, and ideas. If you wanted to fill the time you'd visit with others or read a newspaper or magazine. The "downtime" wasn't as common is you'd think.
Not true for people with ADHD. Those people have and will always need notebooks to remember things. Most people called them dumb, or significantly worse things. I'm sure you can... Remember 😒 And those so called dumb people internalised that, believing it was true about them. Just because you were lucky to be born with a functional neurology, does not mean everyone in your generation or prior did not struggle with the issues you pointed out
Getting to hear your perspective on this as a content creator myself is super helpful. I've found my screen time drastically increasing now that RU-vid is my full-time job, but that isn't because I'm only spending more time doing productive things... in fact, it's the opposite. I feel like having this job grants me too much forgiveness for myself on the amount of time I spend on my phone, so using apps like ClearSpace and turning my phone on grayscale is something I need to implement more as I used to do in the past. Great video as always man!
Your all over RU-vid Spencer Johnson. Used to know one (Graham Stephan) that put in extreme hours and made it full-time and them some. Personally am not mobile other than calls for awhile now due to the phone. Nate O Brien good to hear from you again. Have followed a decent amount over four years ago and once and a blue moon these days, that tells you how this one resonates with me.
Love your videos, so helpful. So refreshing to see someone your age understand the importance of and to live a simpler life! Where were you vacationing here? Beautiful area!
One time i didn't use my phone for 11+ hours (6:00-19:00) and spent that time reading books,playing board games and talking to my family and i still do it and now i really love reading books and spending time studying❤❤❤
I sure hope we don't have a future where all we use is our phones to pay 💀 I'm such a cash oriented person I only use credit cards for really expensive stuff. There's something about holding cash and handing it off when paying where it makes me a lot more frugal than when my money is a formless number in a digital format. If we go full on digital currency, it won't be tangible anymore and that's scary to me.
Hi Nate, I really enjoy and agree with your viewpoint on this issue. People walk around like brainless zombies staring at their smartphones and trying to fit every function into every second of their day! People need to have a little time where they are a little bored, think and meditate. It's nice to go to a park and smell the flowers and listen to the birds and frogs. I have a landline and a flip phone and have never owned a smartphone, and watching the way people use them, I don't want to buy one. The people in our society suffer from information overload, they have to know everything at that very second and they don't have the patience to wait a little bit.
Fantastic video. I really love using the locking cookie jar to reduce phone use. Another tool I've used has been getting a Nokia 3310 so that I can still get and make calls when I'm out and about without having to bring my smartphone. I think this is an area that we will all have to work on at some point if we want to get anywhere particularly impressive.
Honestly, using your phone is fine. Just don't use social media and entertainment apps on it. Using it exclusively for improving your day-to-day such as transport, maps etc. is completely fine and mandatory even.
Makes me curious if we put phones down more that we could restore our attention spans. The few times over the last few years that I forgot my phone I was engrossed in the little stories going on in the world around me. A bit terrifying and remarkable all at once.
Backpacked 4 months through Europe without a computer or a phone. Was amazing. Then another time went one month without a phone and used Skype on my computer for business meetings or calls with Mom. The phone addiction is real and you’re right in a few years it won’t be possible to live day to day without a phone from banking to transportation. Sucks.
Great video, I love that your addressing this big problem. Have you considered using only an apple watch or smartwatch? A few RU-vidrs (Matt Davella is who I am thinking of) have done videos experimenting using the watch only. Gives you the true essentials like navigation and communication but takes away a ton of the distraction because of the small screen. May be different for those who use social media for the careers but it is a great idea
Good point. I tried one back in 2018, and I forgot to turn off notifications for it, so ended up distracting me even more than my phone! Maybe I will try again
I haven't watched the videos in a while. It's awesome that you're still making great content. Where did you move to? Looks like we got beautiful mountains and landscapes in a pretty secluded environment. My wife and I are going to be looking for something similar as soon as life allows.
Becoming phone free sounds awesome, but watching this video I realized that my phone is necessary for my safety as a woman: location sharing, access to emergency services, and even the ability to be on the phone with someone on a walk.
The last point you made was crazy. Lots of people are killed or seriously injured from being on the phone while out walking and out of touch with the surroundings.....and a WOMAN is a MORE attractive target while out in public distracted by her phone.
When I turn off my phone I feel like my brain lifts I’m always overwhelmed but when I turn off my phone I feel better. Thank you for putting this out there. ❤ I hope it spreads. ❤ I deleted my Hulu account and bought a $20 DVD player, and I realized how much I love weird old movies like trash horror and surreal stuff from the 80’s and classics from the 70’s. Like Gattica “I saved nothing for the swim back”. Instead of watching B list or C or D list nothing movies and shows I’m just watching movies as a deeply enriching experience. I am tired of all the tech sometimes and I’ve wanted to get a turn table and using records, don’t call me a hipster but vinyls feels good. Also, religious people have observed a sabbat for this reason you’re talking about. You work to make a living but you have to stop to make a life
An older post but wanted to mention that the library is a great place to get dvds. So many shows and movies you can borrow for free there. Also a tv antenna costs like 10$ and there are always a few old channels for free using that method. Picture quality is great as well.
I’m 21 and have never had traditional social media. The only thing I have is RU-vid which I’m planning to delete now because the shorts function has been occupying my time too much. I will say that I do not suffer with anxiety or depression even though it runs in my family. I had anxiety when I was a lot younger but it was a phase I got through. I’ve never had a depressive phase. Maybe it’s the lack of social media usage, maybe not. I’m a woman and I’ve also never had body image issues. I’ve never dieted. It’s not that I don’t have insecurities, I do, but I’ve never actually had issues with food and disordered eating like most women seem to. I think a lot of this is due to limiting the unrealistic images I saw growing up.
We can't escape smartphones. It's just the way things are now and will be going forward from now on. However you can navigate around them. It's about learning how to use them with intentionality. As a tool instead of a source of entertainment. Don't get me wrong, you can have fun with them, but you have to train yourself to not waste too much time on it when it’s just for fun. Personally, I have rules, like setting specific times and days when I can access social media; For me it's on Sundays, I use a kitchen timer, 30 minutes to catch up on all social media apps ( including RU-vid) once the time is up, I delete the apps and use it on weekdays as normal phone for calls and text only. I do keep some useful apps like GPS and weather. I also don't bring phones to the bedroom, leave it charging in another room and use an old school alarm clock instead. and of course, no phones while watching movies, hanging out with friends or at dinner with family. It seems complex, but you get used to placing boundaries and rules to how you use technology.
2 weeks is pretty good for a 90s kid from the western world .. 👍👍👍 I’m from the 80s.. born and grew up a little in the Eastern part of the world .. I grew up without cellphones or even a landline Nice experiment… before I used to take my phone outside in my backyard in the evenings .. nowadays I don’t .. it disturbs whatever I’m doing outside .. then I get all these missed calls and questions from people “where were you? Blah blah “ .. I tell them that’s my time outside .. maybe I’m working with plants and soil and won’t be able to touch the phone ..
It's interesting because a lot of people I talk to have the same outlook. They have become more anxious, paranoid, and distracted as a result of our increased dependency on technology. Maybe we will all find our way back to thinking for ourselves, truly learning about topics we find interesting and exploring the world with a deeper sense of curiosity to live more meaningful and fulfilling lives. As Seneca says... "It is not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste a lot of it."
When I was 24, I was put into a 51/50 where everything I had was confiscated - including my phone. I was phoneless for 82 hours, but it was the best 82 hours of my life. My mind felt clear-minded, and it felt like I was able to process things without having a migraine about it. I would definitely recommend avoiding your phone for a while so that your mind rests well
This is very insightful! Would love to try this experiment, but i cant do that rn. I'll instead try to reduce my phone time to maybe 1 or 2 hours! I wish clearspace was also available for android users.
It freaked me out seriously.. we are wasting 15 to 20 years just watching phone. And the rest 20 hours in sleeping. Man you were a eye opener !!!. I am into day 3 of NO phone challenge and i will not keep it till 30 days but will continue for life long. Loved your videos.
I was in shock when he said that. I am not wasting no more years of my life on this damn cell phone. I am answering my cell at a same when I know I am suppose to get an important phone call. People are not suppose to reach you all day even when you're not home all the time.
shocked, I am out. good luck to yall. Just think that is 20 years you could have put toward your dream and getting rich. Well that was all I had to hear, I am definitely done with this cell phone addiction crap.
Hey people always talk about how they miss the 2000s, maybe we just miss the idle state of mind. limit your phone usage to 1hour a day, it will feel like the 2000s.
Well we were actually meeting with our friends in person and going out. Also we were in shape and slim because we were all in sports. There was literally 1 or 3 overweight kids in grade school or high school back then. We also had more idle time to read books, do chores, go to the museum, do homework, spend time with family, go to the movie theater, or watch TV.
I work for the railroad and anytime we are on a moving train, we have to have our phones turned off. We’ll go 5-8-9-12 hours without having our phone on nearly everyday. It’s kinda nice sometimes because we get a lot of that phone detox.
Hi nate, i saw your videos about minimalism and was wondering if you're still living that kind of lifestyle? I think it would be great to see your new apartment/home setup and your general thoughts about it now. Thanks and noce videos!
I'm doing it for whole my life (I'll be 23 soon), and people don't understand how I could go out without phone, but for me it's mainly because I just want to have a quality communication with people and also I don't want to carry it in my pocket. I mean, I use it sometimes, but macbook is my main device
It's sad you've never known a life without a phone. As a Gen X I hate that I am so reliant on mine, I miss the freedom. Sometimes I leave the house without it, go for a walk, it's so freeing.
Turn it off when you don't need it, mine will be off till monday morning, and off again on friday till monday. People get pissed because they can't reach me to help them with their basic life skills. I always tell them my time is precious, their's is not.
Its scary to think just how easy it is to get addicted to phones like all these social media companies spending millions of dollars researching on new ways to increase the retention time on their platforms ( Instagram with reels , YT with shorts , Netflix and prime with autoplay etc etc) Its harder than ever to escape this void of never ending content..Then comes the FOMO its like you can't even live a minute without people around you trying to guilt you for not watching some stupid show on Netflix...
Thanks Nate, I trust you so much that I already subscribed just to be able to add more apps where I mindlessly scroll and waste time and, money. Now I have only 10 mins time allowed on YT so I need to type fast 😅 I am addicted, that is the sad truth and I have a 15 year old daughter that I should be a role model to. Let’s begin this new phase. Thanks again! 😊
"96% of the human population didn‘t use phones in their lives". Yes, but at that time everyone else didn't use a phone either. I also tried this experiment a few times in the past. Although for me it was great, the biggest problem was that everyone else kept using their phones. Meetings with friends therefore become difficult and often don't happen because no one uses the old ways of communication anymore. If you also have to communicate by phone for work, you really have a problem. Nevertheless, I recommend everyone to try this, at least for a few days if it’s possible. You become more aware of the world around you and feel less driven. I promise you! :) Thanks Nate for the great content as always. You have inspired me to put my phone away again for the next while as well.
I tried to cut down using my phone during the day but my boss kept getting annoyed he was WhatsApping me and I wouldn't reply. I would check it in the morning, lunch and evening but it was off while I was working. I told people to email me and this was a small team. It was very difficult for me and of course I don't want to get in trouble or anger my boss or coworkers.
As Nate says “It’s good to be bored. It’s good to have downtime” within the day to just think 🤔. This is easier said than done because we’re addicted to several apps on the phone but you can stop using the apps and use only what you really need. Give it a try, go on, experience life without a smartphone 📱.
Two weeks is really admirable! Even the idea of two days seems really hard to me. Yes I think most people are addicted to their phones it’s terrible that companies make them to be addictive and hyper-convenient
Great video, thanks for the encouragement! I'm considering trying something similar as a LOT of my excessive screen time is playing games and then poking ads to get free game tokens. That can go on ALL day if I let it! Or checking social media posts etc. which are mostly nonsense but sometimes a good way to connect with people. Do you play any games or use social media? Is so, any tips for limiting exposure? 🙂
It’s difficult because I use my phone for banking, email, weather, google calendar, audible, maps, my job, side hustles, etc. It’s definitely a balance between productivity and entertainment. But then again, for me, my phone is my main source of entertainment, haha, Netflix RU-vid etc.
Born in 1982. Seen the birth of the bulky cell phone, to the flip phone to the smart phone. While my phone is great for gps (no more bulky garmin) paying bills ( not going in peron or mailing checks) and a mobile encyclopedia. The negatives outweigh the positives. Gonna try and use my phone less and start reading more and writing and actually doing stuff. Great video bro!!!
I downgraded to a dumb phone but upgraded my life! Look towards buying a phone like Punkt MP02 or The Light Phone - worth every penny, though in an increasingly smartphone enabled world it’s incredibly difficult to fully commit to completely leaving smartphones altogether.
paradox: you need to use ur phone in order to use ur phone less thats just the world we are living in P.S. great video Nate! Been watching you since like 2k19, thanks for inspirational thoughts
Great video. Thank you very much for the inspiration. I'm finding ways how to reduce my screen time step by step right now to absolute minimum and it already feels so good. Gotta try this experiment and really relax from the digital pollution one day 🙂💯
God Bless you Nate. What an encouragement. It is interesting his speculation as to what the future holds where we have to have our phones. Such as it is China where it the law requires you to always have it with you.
