On Oct. 22, I made the decision to attempt a full day without using any gadgets.

Usually when I first wake up, I look to the side of my bed and turn my phone on to see any notifications I received while I was asleep. I did exactly that but quickly remembered I wasn’t supposed to touch my phone all day. Once I turned my phone off, I set it down on my dresser.

After I went downstairs, I said good morning to my family who was surprised to see that I didn’t have my phone in my hands.

While I ate breakfast, I felt weird because I always check my timelines or watch Netflix at the table. This time, I had full conversations with my siblings and it wasn’t as bad as I thought.

Once I ate breakfast, I went back upstairs to my room. I fell asleep since I didn’t sleep as long as I should’ve the night before because I was using my phone.

After pacing my room trying to find something to do, I realized I hadn’t started on my assignment for AP Literature. As much as I procrastinated, I forced myself to finally start working on it.

Because of the boredom I felt, I did break the rules once and checked my notifications. I didn’t open any apps, though.

By 8 p.m., I finished my story and completely forgot about unplugging and accidentally watched a few minutes of television.

Toward the end, I got really frustrated and wanted to quit the assignment. However, I continued to challenge myself and see how long I could go.

At 9 p.m., I checked my backpack for more homework to do but found nothing, so I started reading an old favorite book of mine, “Looking For Alaska” by John Green. I got into it and discovered parts of the story that I didn’t notice the first time.

This assignment made me realize how much I depend on technology. I did feel like I was going to die of boredom at random parts of the day. The experience really made me consider the thought of using technology way less and living life some more.