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One of the most powerful things I have got from it is I have completely stopped reading the news and anyone reading this even if not tempted to give up your smartphones, please try giving up the news. For the most part its poison and as above EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW WILL FIND YOU.
National and international news, largely agree. Local news, not so much. It's important to know broadly what is going on around your immediate physical locality. That said I guess you can get a fair bit of it from talking to people. But that is Madness!
Howard-
Stopped reading the news 2-3 years ago - I'm not sure what I'm missing localy to call it madness, have examples? Still seem to pickup what's broadly going on from talking to people/whatsapp/lfgss/etc.
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Local news, not so much. It's important to know broadly what is going on around your immediate physical locality
I can't say I'm missing the abundance of anti-cycling articles and being swamped by intrusive advertising on my local area news site.
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Yeah totally agree with that. I do work in a customer facing job so as a result hear all that stuff word of mouth. I also really enjoy hearing all the different perspectives of the same stories too.
If you see enough people on a daily basis you always have an engrained long range weather forecast which is helpful.
Most (mine definitely) local news websites are too offensively AD covered for me to engage anyway.
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It's important to know broadly what is going on around your immediate physical locality.
Isn't that what your eyes and ears are for? My local news is essentially irrelevant to my life.
"New pensioner care facility opens", "youth squad targets vandalism", "cafe owner unhappy with parking limits" YAWN.
spinnnout
pifko
yafe
hippy
I have been off them for 3 years.
I went straight from rooted android phone with loads of mods set up by my self (serious geek phone). To basic Nokia with no app store, no whatsapp, no social media, no internet. Other than calls and texts its a useless piece of plastic.
It made the single biggest improvement to my life in the shortest and easiest step of anything. I quit mostly because of scrolling with no intent, and whatsapp - I was getting hammered with messages from multiple work groups at all hours and while most of the messages weren't for me It was switching my brain into work mode. I made the transition and gave the other phone away immediately so it was a one way street.
Was a challenge for a few days because you will realise that boredom is a thing that you have been avoiding for years. After that first week though you will realise that boredom is a super power and there are so many untapped minutes and hours in the day that get wasted.
Everyone else I see on a daily basis cant sit by themselves for 30 seconds without looking at their phone. Now I look for things with my eyes to entertain me. 'Look a bird' 'Wow that bar holding that wall up is really big, how did they move that' 'What was that guys name from that band' Really simple and trivial stuff but previously ignored. That last one about 'who/what/when/where was that thing?' would be solved on a phone in 5 seconds. For me, I could stimulate my spare passing thoughts for 5 hours inbetweens jobs with that, and that buzz when you get it! Off your own back. Not from google. Its underrated.
Since I quit I have started reading books (previously not read a full book since school) Now I will read every single day and take a book with me anywhere I go and might get the opportunity.
I never hear from work unless I am there.
I never get the fear of missing out because If I need to know something I have always found out anway.
I am truly engaged in all my relationships there are no distractions when face to face and no online dramas.
One of the most powerful things I have got from it is I have completely stopped reading the news and anyone reading this even if not tempted to give up your smartphones, please try giving up the news. For the most part its poison and as above EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW WILL FIND YOU.
I haven't read any corona articles this whole time, not watched one press release and not spent one sleepless night thinking my breathing isn't quite right and that it might have got me however I still got all the info from day to day interactions and a bit of radio that you need to stay in. Not see your mum, pubs closed etc etc.
It is 100% worth a go, its not for everyone and you have to find your own balance. What I would recommend is strip it all back for 1 week with a basic ring ring phone see what you cant live without. I personally would have struggled with a halfway house and would have creeped a few bad habits in.
In the end I did change phone after the first year and have settled with a nokia E72
https://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_e72-2831.php
Primarily for a qwerty keyboard as I do prefer to text than call. It also has an offline map so no data package but I have never needed it. There is ALWAYS someone with a smartphone who will help you out when you are desperate.
It felt like I just threw some ramblings at a keyboard here so if it doesn't make sense let me know.