Yes, it is possible to live without your smartphones for a few hours a day. There are so many things one can and should do which don’t involve looking at a screen. Here are some suggestions, as reported by the Huffington Post. Trust us; they will do you a world of good.
1. Take a nap without setting an alarm on your phone. Wake up naturally without the constraints of time. Besides, studies have shown that sleeping with your phone under your pillow can disrupt your sleep.
2. Go for a music-free run. It may sound impossible, but try and let nature be your soundtrack, you’ll be surprised at how much you were missing out on.
3. Write it down. Instead of making a to-do list on your phone, or typing out that blog post, grab a pen and notebook. Studies show that the physical act of writing can help in remembering things.
4. Read an actual newspaper, get lost in a real book instead of a Kindle or flip through a magazine. It won’t strain your eyes as much and there’s nothing quite like the feeling of real paper between your hands rather than a tablet or smartphone.
5. Watch a sunrise or a sunset without trying to picture it. You’ll actually see it with our eyes instead of through a screen.
6. Remember when every cool kid knew how to play an instrument, and Guitar Hero made you feel like you could too? Why not actually learn? Pick up an instrument; it’s never too late to learn how to play the piano, or guitar.
7. Brush up on your math skills. Don’t take out your phone the next time you need to split the bill, have your brain figure it out. It’s quite satisfying.
8. Take a break from TV show marathons and head out to a play instead. You can go out and enjoy the Napa Theatre Festival if you’re in Karachi.
9. Go to dinner with your friends and don’t just eat, play the phone stacking game. Place everyone’s cell phones in a stack on the centre of the table. The first one to pick up their phone also picks up the bill. Food is meant to be enjoyed, not just Instagrammed.
10. Thumb through old photo albums, not the albums you have on Facebook, actual albums. Sit with a grandparent or other elderly relative. Find out about your heritage and bloodline, it will help you realise where you’re from and where you have to go.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 18th, 2014.
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