Why I Do Not Own A Cell Phone

You probably don’t need one either

Photo by Monstera

Update: This article is now also available in Dutch.

Steve Jobs changed the world, but he didn’t really make it better.

I don’t know anyone who’s happier and healthier and more whole now that we live in the age of addictive social media, push notifications, hardcore porn, hookup culture, bingey streamers, algorithmic trading, fast food delivery, surveillance capitalism, and a 24/7 news cycle that keeps our digital nervous system in a constant state of fight or flight.

My wife and I once backpacked through all seven Central American countries over five months. We decided to take the 100 Things Challenge and simplify our lives for the trip. My Blackberry didn’t make the cut. We had such a good time being cell-free in Costa Rica and Mexico and the Belizian islands that when we got home we decided to not re-activate until we truly needed to.

That was ten years ago, and I still haven’t turned it back on.

Since then, I’ve traveled to 40 countries (including North Korea and the Vatican), produced four films, published four books, written hundreds of articles, road-tripped 100,000 miles through 48 states and 10 Canadian provinces, and spoken in 300+ cities. None of it required the help of the big tech billionaires and their “life-changing” technology.

I love not owning a cell phone. Most people don’t actually need a phone to experience a flourishing human life. In fact, I’m here to say that you, like me, almost certainly don’t need a phone either — I strongly believe your life will be far better without one.

Because an honest cost-benefit analysis says it’s not worth it for at least fourteen reasons:

Phones cost time

When I went through my bank records and actually added up all the phone purchases, activation fees, monthly plans, long-distance rates, roaming charges, upgrades, usage overages, early termination fees, hidden fees, and accessories, my total expenditure was almost $6,000 in less than four years.

And don’t forget, this is after-tax money. Money that takes hundreds of hours to earn. As I intentionally tried to create a margin of time in my life, I…