A Day Without Phones

02/02/2010

Since Alexander Graham Bell created the first phone in the 19th century, red call boxes have given way to transatlantic conversations, call centres and the ubiquitous mobile.  So now we’re addicted to the technology, could we survive one whole day in the modern world without our beloved telephone?

7.30am

You wake up late for work as you didn’t set your alarm…it was on your phone.  Snatching a piece of toast you hot foot it to the station, only without the handy help of your smart phone and its cunning travel updates, you don’t realise it would have been faster to take the bus as your train has been cancelled.  After waiting for what seems like hours on the rainy platform, you squash yourself into the mobile sardine can, nestling in the armpit of a sweaty pinstriped businessman- ring-a-ding.  Unfortunately, the lack of phone means there is no distraction from the briefcase jabbing your back and no game applications to wile away the mundane minutes.

10.00am

At work at last, after receiving a ticking off for tardiness you are thrilled not to be greeted by eight partially indecipherable answer phone messages…having said that, you’re sure you were meant to contact someone about something important.

12.00am

Almost lunchtime and you’ve written that report and updated all your spreadsheets without any annoying phone interruptions.  Maybe not having a telephone is starting to pay off as far-flung colleagues are making their own decisions and not asking advice about every trivial task.  Emails however, are flying in thick and fast.  On the plus side, face-to-face meetings have been suggested instead of lengthy calls with the bonus of some lunch!

1.00pm

Most of the office has scurried out to pick up some sandwiches.  Fiona has gone to that tasty Italian on the corner and you’re craving their pesto pasta.  Alas no phone to ask her to pick up an extra portion…and a chocolate bar if you’re honest.

2.00pm

After collecting your lunch yourself, realising you haven’t texted your friend happy birthday and after picking up an old-school card, you check your office emails for responses to this morning’s requests.  The down-side with emails is it’s easier for people to ignore your pleas than if you’re having a ‘real’ conversation on the phone.  You email again.

2.30pm

You realise finding the office your meeting is in could be tricky without your smart phone’s GPS.  You find a battered A-Z buried at the bottom of a filing cabinet drawer but worry about new road layouts.  Even though the meeting starts at 3pm and is quite close, you grab your coat, stuff papers in your case and dash off knowing your map reading skills weren’t as sharp as they were and that you can’t call ahead if you’re running late.

2.50pm

You arrive predictably early but it’s better that way!  Looking on the bright side, you are blissfully unavailable and unable to troubleshoot office problems and don’t have to worry about your novelty ringtone showing you up in the middle of a PowerPoint presentation.

4.00pm

The meeting drags on and you have no excuse to step outside, call the office and check you are not urgently needed.  Fingers are twitching from Facebook and mobile web browser withdrawal and your Biro toy is far less stimulating.

4.30pm

Freedom at last!  You walk back to the office with occasional prompt from the A-Z feeling rather smug about today’s progress.  You make a to-do list for tomorrow on a garish ‘look at me’ post-it note in the absence of your trusty phone PDA.  Then you realise you should probably copy it out again and take it with you so you don’t panic when you don’t remember what you’re meant to do tomorrow.

5.30pm

School’s out, the weather is better and it’s your mate’s birthday drinks.  You should phone home ET-style to check your better half has remembered you won’t be in for dinner but you’ll just have to hope they check the calendar.

5.40pm

Walking to the pub you have to trust plans haven’t changed.  When was the last time you arranged to meet people and didn’t change the venue or the time?  You hope everybody else isn’t running late or you’ll be sat on your own hunched over your drink looking less than popular.

6.05pm

Thankfully it’s still the right pub and you have now been joined by other prompt party goers.  Your friend is thrilled by the ‘thoughtful’ card – so much better than a regular text.  After catching up on the days and weeks gone by, you settle down to the battle it out in the pub quiz.

7.15pm

A question on battle of Trafalgar leaves you stumped.  Unfortunately without your phone you can’t cheat by covertly looking up the answer under the table.

8.00pm

Unsurprisingly you don’t get your mitts on the bottle of bubbly prize without some technological help.  Sadly, you also missed out on pictures of your friends ‘singing’ Abba in the ‘guess the intro’ round thanks to the lack of camera phone.  Consequently there will be one less amusing Facebook profile picture and YouTube blackmail material.

9.15pm

You have responsibly said your goodbyes knowing you have a hectic work day tomorrow.  With no phone to call a cab you take the train saving some money- ka-ching.  On the mercifully less crowded commute you have no way of downloading and listening to that Abba song that’s been lodged in your head all night and worse still can’t call home to see if there’s any leftover dinner.

10.00pm

By now your stomach is protesting loudly.  You arrive home to find a lack of lazy meal options and don’t fancy beans on toast again, but having no way of dialling for a pizza you have to walk to your nearest takeaway to collect it, resulting in aggravatingly stringy cheese.

11.15pm

Time for bed.  You set an old-fashioned alarm clock with hands and a bell to rouse you from your slumbers the next day, contemplating how much you got done without the constant pestering afforded by mobile phones.
Having said that, you appreciate all the ways our favourite form of communication makes life easier and more personal. It’s easier to keep in touch, keep your day flexible, change plans, organise future outings, take pictures, get almost any information you need from the internet, use social networking, listen to music, play games…ok, you have to admit it, you’re addicted and you love your phone.  But the day could have gone worse.  What if you worked in a call centre?