How to survive a week without your phone

Lasting a week without your phone is probably the hardest thing you can do at university.

My phone broke in the early hours last Friday morning after a heavy night, but I wasn’t concerned at the time. When I woke up much later, I realised I was fucked: my life revolves around my phone. The repair guy told me it wouldn’t be done until late on Tuesday. I’m not an addict, I hardly post on Insta and I don’t call people as a rule. It’s still a big deal though, with calendars, music and the like, but I made it by to the end.

Here is how you can too.

Facebook Messenger

The obvious but necessary fill in for WhatsApp, and now your only connection to those you love/bootycalls. Plans for meeting people, work for group projects, asking parents for money, the usual. Try and keep important stuff to a minimum as you never know when you’re going to be without a internet connection when bae breaks the news that she’s late.

Look at all the messages I didn’t get since Friday!

Wi-Fi hotspots

4G’s immobile cousin, Wi-Fi is needed to do anything modern without a phone. In your house with a laptop or tablet is fine, but go anywhere and you immediately run into problems. Meeting friends? As soon as you leave the house you just have to trust they will be where they said they were. Brookes students as a group are famously unreliable, so not really an attractive option. I ended up jumping from Wi-Fi hotspot to coffee shop to specific spots on the high-street where Eduroam from Colleges leaks out for me to hijack with my tablet. It’s impractical but better than nothing.

Find human interaction

It’s a lonely world without a phone. If you find yourself suffering from crushing loneliness, try the old fashioned approach of actually talking to people. Go to a friends house, the Forum or a coffee shop and maybe meet someone new. More embarrassing stories come out every Monday.  If that fails, use an inanimate window sticker on the U1.

Its been so long since I’ve connected with another person.

Distract yourself

There are other ways to amuse yourself. Listen to music (unless it’s on your phone), read a book (unless it’s on your phone), watch TV (unless it’s on your phone), or play a game (unless it’s on your phone). I had a fun week, especially on buses.

Literally everyone has a phone except me.