A challenge! Try going out without taking your phone, then share with us how it went

We've become so dependent on our smartphones, that most of us don't even think about what leaving your home without taking your phone would be like. Can you imagine going outside without taking your social media friends, notes, Google Maps, phone camera and music with you? And why would you even leave all of those goodies behind?

Nowadays "minimalist" phones and the concept of detoxing from social media are gaining some popularity, so if you're up for it, let's try a challenge!

Leave your phone behind for a day

It would be an interesting personal experiment, and you'll likely learn a lot about yourself at the end of the day. You may even surprise yourself, if it turns out you ended up having a good time without your phone, by relying entirely on yourself.

What leaving my phone behind felt like

I ended up forgetting my phone recently, and I seemingly definitely needed it, as I had a full, long day planned on it. I would visit certain locations on foot, meet up with friends, have a few drinks, then go to the store to do some shopping before coming back home.

Exploring without a map

Now, reaching new locations on foot without knowing the way or having Google Maps in your pocket does sound like it may be a challenge, but it quickly turned into fun exploration. After all, the streets are numbered and people around can be asked for directions.

I adapted to the "old ways" of navigating pretty quickly, and had fun exploring the fairly new city I was in, on my own and without a map. Normally I'd miss so much of my surroundings when I'm focusing on Google Maps.

Meeting up with friends without calling or texting

This would have been tricky if we didn't plan ahead or if we chose a difficult to find meeting place, but our meetup was at the city centre, easy to find. The main issue I had now was not knowing the time. I didn't carry a watch, but I could always ask a stranger or see it through a store window.