I used a dumb phone for 30 days

🤘 Where I get my music...

Hi there 👋 If you're new to my videos my name is Matt D'Avella. I'm a documentary filmmaker, entrepreneur and YouTuber. I've made a couple documentaries for Netflix. I also teach courses on everything from filmmaking to habit change. If you like to nerd out about self-development as much as I do, you can subscribe for weekly videos.

🔗 LINKS

🎬 CREDITS
Directed by Matt D'Avella
Edited by Matt D’Avella, Spencer Torok, and Zach Mayfield

[Draconicrose]

People keep wanting to ditch their smartphone but, actually, no they don't. What they want to ditch is social media.

[Cabooter]

$300 is absolutely ridiculous, but I guess by marketing it to the “minimalist” and “productivity” community they are going to make a lot of money off it. You can buy a $60 Nokia that has the same functionality plus a better gps, and just not install any social media apps.

[zekesalazar]

I think the reason why you feel more stress when using some of the apps is because you have a set level of expectation. If you were still using paper maps like people used to before phones, the light phone's gps would be a god send, even if you did get lost sometimes. I think part of being minimalistic is to relearn to rely on yourself more than a device that can do it all for you.

[FinancialShinanigan]

The price definitely makes this a solution to a 1st world problem

[DavorZyx]

For me the biggest dealbreaker here is paying 300$ for "lightphone", I get the concept and the idea of removing distractions etc, but today for 300$ you can buy mid-range phones that compete with few years older flagships. It blows my mind that I have to pay MORE for LESS. It doesn't make sense to me. I would rather buy a midrange phone for that money and "modify" it into more "dumper" version (remember android phones, highly customizable) with me myself deciding which features i want to keep and which to get rid off.
With that said, if that phone was, say below 100$ then it would maybe be a reasonable option.

[ISEEKSPACE]

I love the aesthetic of the phone, but not for $300. $150 sounds a bit more reasonable cause it only looks sleek. I can't do much with it, but as a "getaway" from the constant torment of technology, if it were half the price, I'd go for it.

[FuckingPurple]

"why are you so nice?"
"because you were nice to me!"
there's some profound lesson in here somewhere, I can just feel it

[ashcar]

For y'all saying that you can just not install the things you don't want... This is for people with an addiction. If you are ADDICTED to social media, then you WILL redownload the app. Just like he said at the start of the video lol. I have uninstalled and reinstalled social media several times. It's like sending an alcoholic into a liquor store and telling them to be just be strong. So no, just having willpower isn't enough.

[frogturtle]

I love this idea but there are just a ton of essential functions from smart phones, a highly developed user experience, and compatibility with other devices in our lives that would be problematic for many people to give up. What we really need is a setting or app or whatever that turns our phones into a job-completion device rather than a media consumption and time-filling device. But I admire this guy for his philosophy and making an honest attempt to build his own solution. Definitely some good lessons to be learned.

[emmajars]

My previous boyfriend and I when we went on vacations would turn our phones off (and bring a digital camera, books etc) and it was glorious! Not only did we relax but it helped us spend time together.

[yohaizilber]

Next challenge: I stopped following the news for 30 days . Do it and see your life change.

[blackberryhoney]

For me, I think that any sort of 'stripped down' phone would need one extra thing: Google Maps. I live in a huge city and Google Maps is a great way to find out when public transit is coming and what trains are down.

[atilla]

I'm using a "dumb phone" for over three years now. When our daughter was born, I wanted to have the experience of being "analog" when I'm on the street. 3 years later, still using that thing as my only phone. Best decision. I used the Light Phone II in the beginning and switched to a Punkt MP02 quickly for its tactility.
Fun part: I make a living as a digital product designer mainly desining iOS and Android apps. :)

[firball]

No tracking too - obviously not the focus of this video- but all ground up app development, no ads, no tracking, no privacy / data tracking is a huge plus for an alternative phone

[Nurolight]

For anyone trying to lessen their phone usage, one thing I would recommend is: Turn off all lock screen notifications.
The simple act of removing all prompts from your screen to check in on things, and making it a thing you do on your on terms is a game changer.

[janek]

4 years ago light phone video brought me to Matt's channel, now he's talking about it. The life comes full circle

[karthik]

Where I failed when I tried to go dumb was peer pressure. I simply could no longer connect with my friends and family easily. The novelty factor wears off sooner than you might think and it takes a lot of perseverance to keep at this.

[ChrisControversial]

299 seems like a rip off for a phone designed to give you less

[BenjaminSeuser]

A cellular Apple Watch is a similar concept to the lite phone. You can leave your phone behind/locked away, and make calls, get directions, send texts, and listen to music (probably even Spotify, but at least Pandora and Apple Music).
It’s small enough you aren’t tempted to constantly use it for everything, unlike a phone.

[cheesecakesocks]

I write down directions on paper before I leave home using maps on my laptop. Spending time looking at the map and navigating myself in a more active way enables me to remember routes so much better and I usually don't even need a map at all anymore to get around my city.