When the idea of this challenge started going around the team, I thought to myself “this will be easy. The break from my smartphone will be good”. Two days using the old Nokia 2730 is a little tough, I’ll admit, but I’m getting used to it.
Being pretty much out of touch with the live goings on in the world it is weird. When I get home in the evening, I sit down and jump on the laptop to catch up with everything. The next day, I’ll be chatting with people in work asking if “I’d heard the latest news”. Of course, I haven’t a clue what they are talking about – I’m twelve hours behind everyone around me.
Contact
I have a couple of group chats on WhatsApp and Facebook. I do feel like I’m missing out on a bit of the craic. Both of these chat apps inject a bit of life into dull days. For the duration of the challenge, I’m using a temporary number and while I’ve forwarded the calls, maybe I’m missing a text message. Most people don’t have my temporary number. Or is the mother looking for me and getting worried? These are the thoughts you have when you are using an old Nokia instead of your smartphone.
I’ve found myself taking the Nokia out of my pocket when I’m bored. “Yup, still 2.27”, I think to myself. Martin has talked about muscle memory, and the struggle is real. I’ll admit to trying Facebook access on my Nokia. No, the browser does not support it.
New Habits
Ironically enough, I’ve started playing more games on my phone. I never played games on my smartphone, or consoles in general. I just get bored too easily. Then I rediscovered Snake – arguably Nokia’s greatest achievement. It really is the perfect game. It’s simple, anyone can play it. You can play against yourself, trying to beat high scores, or try to beat your friends (or my three friends in this instance) high scores. Currently, I’m on about 1500, but I’ll keep you posted as I improve.
On lunch breaks, I’d usually watch something on Netflix or just browse through Reddit. Yesterday, for the first time in my life, I bought a newspaper: The Star. After looking through it page to page, I realised it’s practically Facebook. There is some sports news, a couple of breaking news headlines, then a load of stories you don’t care about, about people you don’t know. After briefly reading an article on Jordan and her ex, dealing with his sex addiction, I decided I’d never buy a tabloid again.
Not hating the old Nokia yet
So far, I don’t think I’ve struggled massively, but it is only day three. With at least 12 days and possibly 28 to go, I’m not sure how it’s going to go. The old Nokia will either get worse as time goes on. Hopefully, I’ll slowly get used to it, and maybe even ditch my smartphone altogether once it’s all over. It was only a matter of time until one of us said it, though it’s unlikely. If you want my suffering to continue, follow the link and donate to the Irish Cancer Society. The more we raise, the longer we go without.
