I turned off my phone for a day and it was the best decision I made in 2020

A day away from the internet and all those notifications can cleanse your soul.

My wife likes to say that I am the internet. I work over the internet all day, I play games over the internet, and I look to the internet when it’s time to settle in and watch a movie or a show. I guess she’s right.

2020 has been hell for everyone.

But these past six months have been hell. Not just for me, but for everyone. Being cooped up inside or trying to stay six feet away from anything on two legs is stressful enough, but once you run out of things to do, you end up spending more and more time on your phone or at the computer. My wife and I decided that enough was enough and we needed to get away.

This past Wednesday, I borrowed a friend’s boat and drove up to the top of a mountain where, at the end of the overgrown Jeep trail, was a big lake. We loaded up with a cooler filled with sandwiches and cheap beer (my wife was the designated driver that day) along with a bunch of fishing tackle, but no phones because there is absolutely zero cell service where I was. Also, lots of beer, a small boat, and a phone is not a good combo unless you’re a scuba diver.

I didn’t catch any fish worth mentioning, but it was the best day I’ve had in recent memory. Being away from the internet was a big part of that. It was like having OnePlus’ Zen Mode on the entire time.

The internet is great, don’t get me wrong. You can learn anything, read anything, or watch anything. It’s also great for working, especially right now while a lot of folks are still working and schooling from home over their iPads or Chromebooks. But that’s the good half of the internet.

The internet has two sides and the bad can overwhelm the good.

There is another half of the internet where people argue about politicians, or argue about headphones, or argue about phones. And that’s not the worst of it, as I’m sure everyone reading knows. This half of the internet is not a good place, nor a fun place, nor a place to learn anything except bad behavior. I hate it. Even worse, I hate that I sometimes participate in it.

Since that side of the internet is never going to change (maybe it shouldn’t, if people enjoy it) a day away from it was, well, amazing. Having a day off in the middle of the week was awesome, but not having to see random crapola on social media while looking at the Android news or sorting out spam in my email was even more awesome. As a bonus, no service means no robocalls from Team Trump, which are hitting my area hard right now. Don’t rush to the comments — Team Biden robocalls would be just as bad.

I know I make my living on the back of tech, most of which is connected to the internet. Without a connected lifestyle, I’d be doing something else that I probably wouldn’t love doing. But I’m saying everyone needs a break from it all.

I love having the internet at my fingertips, but I loved being without it for a day, too.

I choose to live that connected life as well as work in it, so I do appreciate how the internet has grown and the great things that exist because of it. I love using an Android phone to read my news, talk to my family, or watch fail videos on YouTube. I am really glad to have something as great as the internet at my fingertips.

But man, getting away from it and living like some sort of non-connected caveman — even for just one day — was a good way to kick out all of the cobwebs and enjoy the simple things in life like family, cheap beer, and fishing. I plan to do it more often, and I’d suggest everyone give it a try at least once.

Fast and peaceful

OnePlus 8T

$749 at OnePlus
₹42,999 at Amazon India

A little Zen

The OnePlus 8T has a great display, is plenty fast, and charges fast as lightning. But OnePlus’ Zen Mode is a killer feature to help you get away from it all.