Pushing Through Frustration Why Im Getting Rid of My Phone

Pushing Through Frustration Why Im Getting Rid of My Phone Whenever I make a big change in my life, I tend to get frustrated. When I got rid of television, the first few weeks were frustrating. When I killed the Internet at home, the first month was frustrating. When I stopped buying stuff for a year, the first four months were frustrating. When I changed my diet and started exercising daily, the first six months were frustrating. Eventually the frustration turns into reward, the pain becomes pleasure. This process is gradual, but it happens. The key for me has been finding ways to push through the initial frustrationâ€"pushing through the pain, knowing pleasure is just around the bend. In the end, tomorrows pleasure drastically outweighs the ephemeral pain of today. And now, for my next magic trick, Im getting rid of my smartphone for a couple months while I focus on rewriting my novel. In fact, Ill have no phone at all. No landline, no Skype, no cheap cellphone. Im not a Luddite. I dont think theres anything inherently wrong with TV, Internet at home, cellphones, or technology in general (all these things can be wonderful tools in our lives). Rather, I want to get rid of unnecessary distractions so I can be more productive, focus on whats most important, and better enjoy my life. More importantly, I want to see what effect this change will have on my psyche. Every change Ive made has had a profound effect on the way I see my lifeâ€"my perspective today is radically different from  yesterdays perspective. My lack of a telephone also means my face-to-face interactions with my friends will become more meaningful. Dinner or coffee or a walk through Dayton will mean so much more because we wont have the luxury of updating each other with every banal detail of our lives via text message or a five-minute phone call. Every interaction will be an opportunity for us to live in the moment, to be on the mountain. But what about emergencies? Truth be told, I cant possibly plan for every emergency. Its fear that makes us try to plan for every potential pothole. My neighbors have a phone if I really need one. My local coffee shop has Internet when I need to get online. My friends will still be able to contact me via email. Ill still be able to update social media when Im on the Internet. So many people have told me, I could never give up my cellphone. I used to say the same thing. The truth is, yes they could, but they choose not to live without. Theres nothing wrong with that choice, but realize you can do anything you want to do. Sometimes you just need to make the change and push through the initial frustration. Read about the results of this experiment: Reprogramming the Twitch.