This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Ryan Smith. It has been edited for length and clarity.
For the last seven years, I’ve worn a smartwatch on my wrist all day, every day.
Working in luxury car sales, I do most of my work via texting and email, so my smartwatch would constantly ping.
As someone with ADHD, every time a notification went off, it would mentally and physically take me away from whatever I had previously been thinking about or doing.
My mind expected the notification vibration, and every time I felt it, I had an urge to look at what was coming through.
The cognitive load became too much. I felt frazzled. The smartwatch made me anxious. I had to change something.
I switched to an analog watch
In the middle of December 2025, I decided to switch my digital smartwatch for a classic analog watch, as part of my effort to make my life just a bit less digital in 2026.
The added bonus is that I really liked the look of a classic watch.
I went to my local jewellery store and picked out a mid-range watch. I didn’t want to get an expensive one just in case my resolution didn’t work out.
The first day without my smartwatch, I found it really hard. I wanted to look at my wrist constantly, not just for client communication, but also to flick through the widgets. All of a sudden, I couldn’t just look at the weather on demand. I actually looked outside to see what the weather was like.
After that first day, the difficulty of being without the smartwatch tapered off. I got used to living without it during my workday.
Within days, the best I can describe how I felt is that I felt free.
I was more relaxed
I was calmer, less on edge, more relaxed. I wasn’t constantly expecting that ping on my wrist anymore, and wasn’t always anticipating it. My nervous system felt more stable.
I still use my phone, but a phone is different than a smartwatch. A phone you can leave somewhere, face down, and not feel every ping, not see every notification. A smartwatch is constantly on your body. You literally feel each notification, urging you to respond right away.
My phone is much easier to put down than my watch because I’m not wearing it. If I’m not actively messaging someone about closing a deal, then my phone is usually face down next to me.
The only downside is that I sometimes miss a text from my wife, but she understands.
I still wear it at night to measure my sleep
Although I plan to carry on without my smartwatch at work indefinitely, I still wear it at night to measure my sleep and first thing in the morning while I exercise. But once work starts, it goes away.
In an effort to make my life that bit less digital, I’ve also started writing to-do lists by hand rather than typing them on my phone. It means I don’t have to constantly look at my phone for what I’m doing next, getting sucked into doomscrolling as a result.
This worked for me, I think, because it was one of the smallest steps I could take. I would say to anyone trying to reduce their tech use to do the same — make one small change to start. And then tell yourself, you’re only going to try it for a day, and just see what happens. There will be positive reinforcement to encourage you to continue your change.
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