How Will Your Life Look Without Technology for 15 Days?

Last year, I went to the army — It’s compulsory in Greece. I knew that the first days there are time-consuming with all the training that’s going on. So, I decided to add up to the challenge. I didn't take my phone with me.

There, you only have yourself and other trainees. No TV, no radio, no phones. I only had two books from Albert Camus. Oh, and a notebook that got me into writing.

The first part of our training lasted 15 days. 15 days without using anything related to technology sounds like an impossible feat for a guy that lives from it right now.

But it wasn't.

On the first day, I wanted my damn phone back. I’m antisocial too so…Nightmare. I felt empty. My class had around 500 men. I believe that 495 of them had their phones with them. But I had a goal. A milestone to achieve. It’s a difficult goal for the new age we live in. Especially in the post-Covid-19 era. With that said, you could give it a shot on your next vacation. Don’t they say that great results require great sacrifices?

After all, our best moments in life don't have anything to do with technology.

Think about it.

I gathered the benefits to myself of not using technology for 15 days, backed up with some scientific research. You can later judge what is best for you and if you want to reduce the usage of technology in your life.

Your Eyes Will Get Better

I have astigmatism. In short, it means that I have blurry, fuzzy, and distorted vision. My problem is small, but I wear glasses at home in order to have my vision back to 4K UHD.

Since I didn’t take my phone with me, I felt like not taking my glasses with me either.

And oh my… My eyes got the rest of their lives.

Amardeep Parmar in his article about micro habits mentions a habit that's called the 20–20–20 rule. (Look away from your screen every 20 minutes, for 20 seconds at an object 20 feet away.)

You can take it to the next level if you choose to live without technology for a couple of days. And If you could change your daily habits like social media, you could see some benefit to your eyes too. According to a study, Americans spend 2:30 hours on social media daily.

Now, when I write, I take some time off to look at the mountain. It helps me more than I imagined.

You’ll Get Time to Think

This is my personal favorite.

Do you know what Greece had that I am proud of? Philosophers.

Philosophers got the ideas they had because they had no internet with them. They spent years with no distractions, and they changed the world. Everyone wants to be an entrepreneur lately, but only a few tried to live and be one with nature and their thoughts.

“All truly great thoughts are conceived while walking.”

― Friedrich Nietzsche

I strongly believe that everyone needs to spend some time with themselves. Without anything made by humans. In the core of thinking. A couple of days can change you.

Imagine humans in the modern age, living like ancient philosophers. The thoughts that they could make… We need more modern philosophers. Not people that share quotes from others. But people who make their own path and share it with you.

Your Social Skills Will Improve

You are not as social as your following number on Twitter.

If you get 500 likes on your next Instagram selfie, will you recognize the emotions that people had when they clicked like? I don't think so. We missed a vital part of human interaction, the face-to-face interaction.

A study showed the benefits of not using technology for 5 days to 51 students.

They showed better emotional and social intelligence after 5 days! And I spent 15 days without it. I had the chance to look at 500 faces every day. 500 different emotions and facial expressions.

It can make you more comfortable around people.

Another study showed that people who spend more than 2:30 hours on social media are more likely to be socially isolated.

As you read on the first point of this article, your eyes will get better if you reduce the average usage of social media. Everything connects.

You’ll Get More Time For Books

“Never trust anyone who has not brought a book with them.”

― Lemony Snicket

You already know that books are important. If you are a writer, you need to read more than you write. And what’s better than a book? A study about the benefits of reading books will prove to you that you need more books than technology in your life.

• It will help you sleep. Talking from personal experience, I usually sleep for around 6–7 hours. In those 15 days of training, I would sleep for 9 at least. Fun fact, when I came back from my training, they compliment the fact that my face was looking smooth and healthy.
• Your vocabulary will improve. The Matthew effect shows how much more you gain by knowing more. And by knowing more vocabulary you both get self-improvement and social-improvement. You are more likely to convince a person about anything, with a better vocabulary.
• You are strengthening your brain. The short and long-term benefits of a novel on the connectivity in the brain are shown in this study. My thoughts were faster, more precise. If you don't want to read the study, do it yourself. You are missing being the best version of yourself.

Your Body Posture Will Improve

I can’t stress this enough.

If my spine had a mouth it would thank me so much for this 15-day gift. Poor posture causes neck problems. And what is the leading cause of poor posture? Using technology. Your damn phone screen and computer.

A break from screentime will give you more than 1 reason to do it.

Mere physical sitting is not enough. You have to sit carefully and attentively. Let your body and breathing sit. Let your mind and emotions sit. Let your blood circulation sit. Let everything sit. Then your sitting becomes indestructible, immovable.” — Taizan Maezumi

Final Thoughts

Your life without technology for 15 will look like paradise.

You and me, we forgot what life is. It’s more than the screen on our devices. But you and I spend more time watching them, than nature itself. The very own thing that gives us life!

I watched a rainbow and my life became better. I was without technology for 15 days and I had the truth revealed to me. That you can be better, by limiting technology.

Yes, it’s important to have technology in your life, don't get me wrong. But because you gain so much more by not having it, you should limit the usage of technology, for a start.

On your next vacation, please treat yourself to some rest. It will change your life.

Originally published on Medium.