I went a week without my smartwatch after wearing one for years, here’s what I learned
Beyond the Alphabet
Beyond the Alphabet is a weekly column that focuses on the tech world both inside and out of the confines of Mountain View.
I’ve always been intrigued by the idea of going back to the days when I didn’t need a smartwatch and could just rely on my phone or laptop for everything. Unintentionally, I performed this little experiment after my smartwatch ran out of juice and I couldn’t find the charging cable.
Side note: that’s a different issue entirely, and one that we’ve written about numerous times.
I really didn’t intend for this experiment to take place; I just couldn’t find the right cable at the end of the day, and just wanted to go to bed. Then, I woke up the next morning and didn’t even think about the fact that I wasn’t wearing a watch — at least at first. It wasn’t until the day progressed that I opened my phone to find quite a few missed notifications.
Instead of trying to find the charging cable, I got sidetracked by something else, which happens more often than I’d like to admit. Fast forward to today, and it’s been 10 days since my smartwatch served its most recent notification.
When the idea about going smartwatch-less first struck, I didn’t think I’d be able to go for more than a day before needing to put it back on. At the same time, I was kind of hoping that not having my wrist constantly buzz at me all day and night would give me some type of peace and quiet.
Unfortunately, it’s been quite the opposite.
Peaceful bliss turned anxiety-inducing
The annoyance of nonstop notifications has been replaced with dread and anxiety about what I might have missed. Not so much with things like the trivial notifications that I get throughout the day, but more so with messages from my wife, work, and one app that lets me know when my son is waking up from a nap.
Yes, all of those notifications still come through and buzz my phone, but I don’t always have my phone in my pocket. Most of the time, it’s sitting on my desk, with a million other devices that are buzzing or beeping as they vie for my attention. This could have also been partially remedied by using something like Phone Link, but due to ongoing issues with my desktop computer, it’s not currently set up.
A lot of notifications are like junk mail that just get swiped away or ignored. However, I’ve come across a couple of times when an important message would buzz me, only to get buried by subsequent “junk” notifications.
Or, I would just be in the middle of working on something, only to see that my wife is calling me because she needs an answer to something, and I wasn’t responding. For reference, phone calls give me instant anxiety, so people only call me if they really need something or it’s an emergency.
What I’ve missed
There is one aspect of wearing a smartwatch that I miss, and it’s being able to do things from my wrist. Sometimes that’s just sending a quick reply to a message, but it’s mostly controlling various smart home accessories.
I’ve mentioned this before, but it’s rather difficult trying to turn off smart lights when you have an infant in your arms. Compounding this issue is trying to do that without just using my voice, as it’s deep enough that my son will wake up from the deepest slumber. That alone is kind of crazy to think about, but that’s not a topic for here.
Glanceable health tracking is convenient
The other side of everything is that I’ve gone 10 days without tracking my sleep or being notified if my heart rate is too high. Those matter more to me than tracking steps or workouts because, well, I don’t work out unless you count chasing a little one around.
The former is because knowing how long I slept provides direct correlation for why I might be feeling like crap. So if I get five or more hours of sleep (which is better than normal) and wake up feeling off, it’s an indication that I should probably keep an eye on how I’m feeling throughout the day. The latter is due to my having high blood pressure, and I don’t always pay close enough attention to know when to take a break from something to get up and walk around.
(Editor’s note: Keep in mind that while these metrics are helpful, your smartwatch cannot diagnose health conditions and should always consult your doctor if you are concerned with any readings from your smartwatch.)
The unintended experiment is over
It’s weird and honestly a little unsettling to look in the app on my phone and see absolutely no data populated. But that’s mostly thanks to how long it’s been since I’ve gone this long without some type of smartwatch or fitness tracker on my wrist.
If it weren’t for my issues revolving around notifications, I would probably just pick up a smart ring and wear a “traditional” watch when the occasion arose. As it turns out, that’s just not something that’s viable for me currently, so if you’ll excuse me, I need to figure out where I put that dang charger.
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