The Nokia 3310 Experiment: Day 1
So, for the next seven days, my iPhone is functioning like a Nokia 3310.
Calls. Texts. Clock.
No scrolling. No feeds.
The internet still exists, I just have to sit down at my laptop to access it.
I'm keen to see what happens when I remove distraction from my pocket, while still keeping the things that genuinely support daily life.
What I have allowed (and why)
Iāve been deliberate about this. These arenāt loopholes. Theyāre tools:
Phone
The phone, at it's most basic level.
Messages
For the same reason. Human communication stays, which includes Whatsapp.
Maps
Practical, and required (as I have no sense of direction).
Google Calendar
I still need to know where Iām meant to be.
Banking apps
Money admin is real life. Removing it would create stress, not insight.
School apps
Because school life does not pause for experiments.
Passwords
So I donāt lock myself out of my own life.
Ring
Home security stays. Peace of mind is not negotiable.
Spotify
The equivalent of an MP3 player. Music supports my nervous system. I use it intentionally, not endlessly.
Patreon (cleaning)
This stays because the TOM cleaning sessions supports keeping my environment calm and functional. Less mess, less mental clutter.
Whering
This one is important. It removes daily decision fatigue around what to wear. Fewer micro-decisions means more energy for everything else.
Thatās it.
No social media.
No browsing.
No news.
No shopping.
No algorithms tugging at my sleeve.
The rule Iām holding myself to
If something is important enough to look up, itās important enough to open my laptop.
If I feel the urge to ājust checkā, I pause instead, and I keep a rough 'thumb twitch' tally for each day.
Iāll be noticing what feels weird, what feels quieter. what shows up in the space I've created.
Day 1 begins.
Iāll share what I learn as I go.
Ā