Alas, a dumbphone is probably a bridge too far in 2026

I've thought long and hard about getting a dumbphone. It's easy to see the appeal of a notification-free, scroll-free life.

But alas, I've come to reluctantly concede that it's probably not the answer in 2026.

Our entire society is built around the assumption that there's a smartphone in all of our pockets. It's how we pay for things, find places, book appointments, gain access to flights/trains/gigs/movies. Hell, it's even how some of us find love.

Consigning myself to a life without a smartphone would likely be a miserable existence. I'd be late for everything, forever fumbling for change, asking for directions, and printing. So much printing.

And the more I mull this topic over, the more my day-to-day life backs up the theory.

Just yesterday at the supermarket checkout (with an entire week's worth of food bagged up in my trolley) I remembered I'd gone into my overdraft and would need to dip into the savings for the final few days of the month. No biggie - it happens.

In the time it took the checkout clerk to go and clean up a dropped egg at the self-service till, I'd moved £200 to my current account to cover the groceries and whatever else the next few days would set me back. I then spent the drive home thinking about what that'd have looked like if I didn't have a smartphone. Rushing back home to use my computer to move the funds? Sheepishly phoning a friend to ask for a loan? Nightmare.

I'm filled with admiration for anyone under retirement age who has found a way to live with a dumbphone, and I've no doubt they lead a more present, mindful life than the rest of us. But I don't think I could do it. Not now.

We've let convenience shape our technological advancements for too long, and now we're a bit trapped by them. A lot trapped by them, actually.

But all is not lost. I'm going to use this blog to design a healthier relationship with the little box of infinity I carry in my pocket - transforming it back into a toolbelt that serves me, and not a needy little distraction cube that eats up my day and clouds my already busy mind.

I hope you find something on here that helps you do the same!

~ Tom