keeping the dumbphone mindset with a smartphone

i've had people ask me why i've gone back to a smartphone after using a dumbphone for awhile. for context, i switched to the punkt. mp02 for about three or so months earlier last year and swore of smartphones altogether. but, what i started to find was that i really needed certain features, especially when it came to managing the security of my home, as well as being able to keep up with very active group chats (which is very hard to do on a semi-responsive t9 pad). so, after three months, i ended up back on my pixel 8 w/ grapheneos. 

at the time i felt like i was admitting defeat, but i found that the three month period of digital isolation helped me in ways i didn't realize until that moment. i was no longer aimlessly opening social media apps, i had less of a desire to even use my phone, and it became what it was always suppose to be; an accessory to my life, rather than the holder of it.

now whenever i have someone ask me how to ween off of social media, my answer is always to use a dumbphone for awhile. even if it isn't a permanent change, it's definitely a beneficial one.