Only three calls, really?!

Hi!

I've been continuing the Digital Balance challenge, and come to the realization that not many people call me. As in, call me from a normal, actual phone number. Not FaceTime or a voice call through Telegram or Signal, just a typical phone call.

The setup I have for this challenge is that I'm forwarding my phone calls (and text messages, except iMessage obviously) to another number. I use an eSIM in my iPhone, and while I'd be able to move my number to a physical SIM card, I don't want to do that. Instead, I'm forwarding everything, which means that if you call or text me, the call or text ends up on my iPhone replacement. And yes, that's still the Punkt MP02.

Which brings me back to the amount of calls I get, or rather, the lack thereof. I've had several longer conversations through digital devices, but they've been video calls or through Telegram or Signal. Thinking about it, I'm pretty sure this is normal for me. The only people who call me the traditional way are my parents, my wife if something's really urgent (which it rarely is), and delivery companies. This week, I count three calls in total. And yes, one of those calls was indeed an UPS delivery person, which I missed.

Other than the fact that I apparently don't need a phone in the old school sense, I have some random thoughts from this week's adventures.

In no particular order, then:

• The sound quality for phone calls using the Punkt MP02 is good. A part of me appreciate holding a small plastic brick for calls, it reminds me of simpler times. Also, calls are shorter because I haven't connected any Bluetooth headphones.
• I've been using my iPhone (which I have to carry because reasons previously discussed) as an oversized iPod touch, with my AirPods Pro. Music listening, and the lack of Apple Music, Spotify or similar on the MP02 (a reasonable choice, mind you), makes it hard to leave smartphones completely. This goes for car features too.
• I seemed to have misplaced my Ricoh camera, so what few photos I've been taking has been taken with the iPhone. I hope I'll find it, it'd be interesting to see if I'm more inclined to rely on it rather than the iPhone for photography this time around. I've tried that before, as you might recall.
• As expected, I've used my iPhone for identification, online banks, and the like. I haven't needed it for credit cards, as I've just enabled contactless payment on my Apple Watch. The Watch also makes sure that I don't miss important text messages sent via iMessage (which is the vast majority of the ones I get) as I'll get them there, too. Cellular connectivity is a wonderful thing sometimes, although you could argue it's not entirely in line with the challenge. Balance, balance is the key, as discussed in the previous letter.

No big surprises there. I will say however, that I've not kept my phone – iPhone nor MP02 – nearby at home. It's not there for easy access, I'm not scrolling Instagram or anything on it because I can't pick it up subconsciously, and get stuck doing something I hadn't planned on doing. When I get home, I put it on its charger, and it sits there until I need it. It's never on the table within reach or anything.

Not having the iPhone nearby has cut down on unplanned screen time for me. I use my iPad more, but that's a device that I, when I decide to pick it up, use with purpose. I won't get stuck doing nothing due to picking it up without thinking. The only time I pick up the iPad is when I want to do something specific.

This is true to a point, of course. I easily get stuck reading things, going down rabbit holes, if I'm not looking for something in particular. Question is, is that a bad thing? It depends. It's fine getting lost sometimes, when you're looking for something which leads to something else. What I don't want is to get lost when I didn't have a destination in the first place.

Next week will be a hectic one, with a heavy workload as well as social obligations and plans. It'll be interesting to see what that does to my device usage. Because as of now, I'm quite enjoying the fact that I'm a bit disconnected to the digital world, without the plethora of notifications and distractions it brings.

— Thord D. Hedengren ⚡