I just got Punkt.

What if your phone actually did less? Do you think you could accomplish more (of what really matters)?

My kids need technology. Not like you or I need air and water, but like how a crackhead needs smack. My youngest son Jude will grab the TV remote with both thumbs, hunch over it and “pretend text”. My other son Fin laughs hysterically when Siri responds to his questions. About underwear. So I take it away, and tears/fits/drama ensue.

Y’all got any more of that iPhone?
I try to limit their screen time, especially phones and tablets – there’s really scary articles out there. So I just tell them, “You’ll have to be bored and use your imagination.” They’ll appreciate me one day. Just NEVER in the moment whenever I say that.

So I got my Punkt. phone in the mail all the way from Switzerland this week. It really is as advertised. It is small, lightweight, and really beautifully designed, but the MP 01 does little more than talk and text. There is an alarm, a calendar (only for referencing days of the month… no scheduling functionality), and ability to set reminders. But you set them via T9 texting, so I probably won’t do that a ton. I’m going to be really bored.

I’ve realized I’m going to have to learn some new ways of living – including, but not limited to:

• No Spotify or Podcasts in the car. (AM radio or alone with my thoughts?)
• Not unlocking my phone when another person’s phone buzzes
• Navigating H-town’s sprawl without map applications (I really should know my city better after 14 years)
• Depriving the world of my Pulitzer-caliber photography at concerts, restaurants, and kid’s school event photos.
• No Face-timing my wife from the toilet

It all starts this Monday. It’s time for this guy to taste his own dad medicine. It’s time to be bored and use my imagination.

You can read more about Will’s adventures here.

Will Otto
@Wotto