I went two years without technology...or I tried. Here's what happened... Minimalism is about removing things from your life to live a less cluttered life. Often when people remove things from their life they are able to think clearer and be more present in the moment, but what happens when you remove technology from your life? In 2018 I decided I would do an experiment on myself and minimize technology as much as I could to see what life would be like without technology. My plan was to do the following: 1. No home internet for 2 years 2. No smartphone for 2 years 3. No TV for 2 years 4. No technology outside laptop and Nokia phone for 2 years I wanted to do this because I thought that removing technology from my life would allow me to be more social, live in the moment, and be more productive. On March 2018, I started this experiment to live without technology for 2 years. Here is what happened: Month 1: The first month I was less distracted and more focused on the present. I was really enjoying living without technology, but looking back I know, "You can't see the reality of anything in 1 month." It takes more than 1 month to see the reality of something, so that first month I only saw the positives of removing technology from my life. Month 2: In the second month I started to realize that I wasn't getting invited to as many social events and this was because I didn't have a smartphone. I realized I had to conform a bit or I'd be missing out. So I got a smartphone to communicate more with friends, but left it at home and didn't use it as my main phone. Month 5: For 5 months I did not have wifi at home and the only place I could use internet was at school. This created problems when I was trying to lesson plan. I realized that not having regular access to the internet made it harder to complete tasks and I was wasting time because I was trying to create lessons without the internet. So, I started to visit internet cafes more frequently. Month 9: Nine months into this experiment, I moved out on my own as I was living with host families before, but I decided that I still did not want to have the internet in my house. My compromise was moving closer to the mall where I could use internet without much hassle. I realized that it is impossible to live with no internet in the 21st century. Month 12: I was using a basic Nokia phone for the first 12 months and after a while it started to cause me a lot of problems. I had difficulties getting around the city and communicating with friends. I realized that there is no point of putting yourself through stress if you do not have to. A smartphone would make my life much easier, so I decided to get a smartphone as my main phone. Month 13: Once I got a smartphone, my life began to change. I was able to save time by using apps like whatsapp and maps. I realized that social media makes more moments possible. Month 14: Despite using the internet on a regular basis, for the entire 2 year period I never had internet at my house. Whenever I had friends over we were able to have better conversations because no one was distracted with smartphones. Not always having the internet around made people more social and better conversations. Month 15: It took me 15 months until I was able to understand Ecuadorian culture. Once I got to know some of my students, I noticed some were extremely intelligent. When I asked them where they were studying outside of school they said the internet. I realized that the internet has revolutionized humanity by giving resources to places that might not have the bets resources. Month 16: Despite getting a smartphone, I never took it out in the city to avoid getting it stolen. After doing this for a while I realized that people will smile and talk to you more when you do not have a phone out. Month 24: Two years after I started this experiment, i realized that technology is not a bad thing. In many ways, technology makes our lives much easier and we should use it in our lives. Through it all, I learned that technology is our reality and we have to live with it. 2 Years Later: It has been 2 years since I did this experiment and now I use technology often. Looking back I now know that, "You don't go without technology, you learn to have self control."