[ssfsa]

My uncle, a top professor at a top 10 US research university didn't have a phone until two years ago. He did fine. In fact, he attributes his significantly higher productivity to not having a phone.

Donald Knuth gave up email in 1990. Too distracting. (I dunno but I wouldn't think he has a cellphone)

When I started grad school in '07 I wanted to forgo a cellphone. I couldn't. My advisor was even annoyed I held out on a smartphone for as long as I did (caved in 2010).

In 2013, sick of my smartphone I went back to a dumbphone. It was great until 2015 when I started working at a place so crappy I have to routinely tether my phone for productive internet access.

My point: it's very possible to live w/out a cell phone. Frankly it's not even hard (I "forget" my phone at home). However, unless you're tenured or are otherwise your own boss, you'll be forced to have one.