Living Without a Smartphone in 2025: Increase Your Margins

He stood by the front desk, looking at his phone.

He glanced around the room.

Then back at his phone.

He walked to another part of the building, then came back.

He again stood by the front desk, still obviously confused why it was not staffed.

Somehow, he'd missed the fact that it was a holiday.

And he was now experiencing what our smart devices have largely eliminated from our world.

The unexpected.

The Illusion of Control

Smartphones give us the sense that we can preview our movements and control the outcomes. We use our pocket genies to get driving directions, traffic alerts, construction notes, restaurant reviews, store hours, and more.

Why?

To avoid surprises.

To control the outcome.

To not make a mistake.

To not be left standing at an unstaffed front desk, wondering what to do.

What If Mistakes Aren't?

Missing a turn isn't a failure.

A bad meal might make a great story.

A closed store might lead to a new discovery.

Phones Are Adaptation Machines

Smartphones have become outsourced adaptation tools. Of course, tools can be helpful. But there's always a cost. Replace a hammer with a nail gun, and your arm won't stay as strong.

Smartphones weaken our ability to be aware of our surroundings, to be flexible, and to improvise.

Relearn How to Adapt

Navigation is a muscle. Improvisation is a muscle. Adaptability is a muscle.

Muscles grow through use.

But workouts take time.

I've lived without a smartphone since 2017. My guy at the front counter? I've been in his place. A bunch of times. I've driven the wrong way. Missed exits. Gotten locked out of the house. Been late to a meeting.

And I've learned.

If you want to live without a smartphone, the most important thing you need to do is give yourself margin.

Increase Your Margins

Smartphones let us schedule ourselves down to the minute. Your day can be back-to-back appointments with drive times accounted for. And busy means productive, right? And busy people are important.

But you aren't happy.

Or you wouldn't be here, reading this.

The biggest lifestyle change you'll need to make in order to live smartphone-free is forcing yourself to be less scheduled. Less preplanned.

You need margin to deal with the unexpected.

You need more time between events so a wrong turn isn't catastrophic. You need a clearer head so you can pay closer attention to your surroundings. You need to learn how inconvenience often wraps itself around opportunity.

Increased Humanity

My front-counter guy was inconvenienced, yes. But his day didn't end there.

Another man came through the door, noticed his confusion, and told him it was a holiday. Together, they caught my eye and came over, asking for help. I gave him some tips to help accomplish what he needed to do.

Granted, we didn't exchange numbers and plan a night out at the bar.

But that small face-to-face exchange is one repetition of a phone-free workout.

Keep it up, and you might feel human again.