[whiddershins]

First of all, if you are over a certain age, the phrasing of this question might feel surreal. Because before a not-that-long-ago date, everyone did this all the time.

That said, a few years ago I was forced to do this because I was on a beach in Mexico with no service.

It took several days for the addiction to wear off, and I had been already ‘on vacation’ for about 2 weeks previous, just I was still plugged in.

I highly recommend detoxing from screens regularly. Many Orthodox Jews I believe do this every week, and I have often tried to get myself to do the same.

I also have rules I never break: like never answer the phone during dinner.

There’s no good way to ‘moderate’ per se. Moderation will take the form of setting small strict rules and adhering to them.

[INTPenis]

I had the same thought, the 90s. And what did I do in the 90s? I smoked cigarettes.

All alone, at a bus stop, or waiting for a friend. It was torture just standing there as a teenager in the 90s. Had to start smoking.

I'm not saying smartphones made me quit smoking but mp3 players did give me an excuse to put headphones on and at least do something while waiting for public transportation and the like.

I did own a walkman before that but strangely it was never with me when I needed it, because of its size. It was a chore just to plan to bring my walkman anywhere.

Edit: This made me realize the first music player that was most regularly in my pocket was a Sony minidisc player. I also loved the format because it seemed so futuristic.

[DanTheManPR]

I remember being very bored a lot in the 90s. Waiting around in the laundromat, sitting in waiting rooms, riding the bus, doing house and yard work. Books and walkmans and gameboys existed, of course, but they were slightly too big to always carry them around in your pocket.

I was a very early listener of audiobooks on digital media players, which was a godsend for alleviating that kind of boredom.

[ghaff]

I used to read a lot more books. I'm not sure I read fewer total words these days but certainly fewer books.

[sbarre]

I've had the opposite experience with my Kindle.

I recognize that it's "technology" so perhaps some people don't count it, but when I "unplug" (either at home or when away), I bring my Kindle.

And since I started reading on it, probably 6-7 years ago, I would say I read 4-5x as many books per year as I used to.

[Sharlin]

> Books and walkmans and gameboys existed, of course, but they were slightly too big to always carry them around in your pocket.

Which is why purses/handbags/messenger bags are so great. And at some point in the 90s, fanny packs (which apparently are making some sort of a comeback right now…)

[karatestomp]

Since all that stuff's smaller now, men can cart around quite a bit of crap in a blazer or sports coat, appropriate year-round (though you may want different ones for summer versus winter depending on where you live) all while dressing their outfit up a notch or two.

Blazers: fashionable purses for men. Love 'em. Like a hoodie but with much better storage capacity (yes, really) and gives a better impression. They even hold books pretty well—you know those fairly thin mass-market fiction paperbacks, from like the 50s-70s? They must have been designed to fit in the outer pocket of a suit jacket or blazer without bulging or throwing off the fit of the clothing. If you don't mind a bump on your jacket you can put somewhat bigger books in there, too.

Sad when Winter's over, the jackets/coats go away in the closet, and you have to start putting your wallet and phone and keys in your pants pockets again? Wear blazers!

[wenc]

Can attest to being able to store keys, phone, comb etc. in blazer without it looking bulgy.

Books do affect the drape though, at least for the cut of blazer I prefer (cut close to the body).

[rglullis]

Books. Comics. And the Walkman would go into my backpack which would carry said books and comics.

I've heard many good excuses for smoking but "I needed to keep my hands busy and I wouldn't carry a backpack" is a new one. :)

[Izkata]

I strictly wore cargo shorts in summer back in school (2000s) because it was easy to fit a book in the lower pockets.

[ghaff]

There is definitely an element of people wanting something to do something with their hands. I wouldn't be so presumptuous to say that smartphone usage helped cut back on cigarette smoking but it wouldn't shock me if there were some effect.

[rglullis]

Much more likely, constant smartphone use gives you a dopamine hit strong enough to push away cigarettes.

[kbob]

I was 18 the first time I saw a computer. Before that, I gathered info from books, newspapers, magazines, libraries. I stored info on papers in notebooks, and on film. I communicated in person, on the phone, and via mail. And in general I was not very well informed.

I prefer the current situation, where more info than we can possibly use is instantly available. But I acknowledge that it can be overwhelming.