Six months ago, my wife and I cancelled one of our mobile phone contracts. Not because of the expense — though that was a pleasant side effect — but because we had begun to notice something: we were both always available, and therefore never fully present.

The logistics seemed impossible at first. How would we coordinate? What about emergencies? What about maps? The questions multiplied in the planning stage and then, one by one, resolved themselves in practice.

How It Works

The phone lives by the front door, on a small hook my daughter made in woodworking class. Whoever is leaving the house takes it. If both of us leave separately, we make a plan beforehand — the old-fashioned way, with words and specificity.

What Changed

The most immediate change was in the evenings. Without a phone in my pocket, I stopped reflexively checking it. Without a phone on the bedside table, my wife stopped scrolling before sleep. We read more. We talked more. We were, frankly, a little bored sometimes — and the boredom was wonderful.