What a week without my phone taught me about attention

For one week during my study abroad program in Switzerland, our phones were taken away.

That might sound like a difficult way to begin a trip, but I was looking forward to it. Our group included 17 students from across the United States, and I thought a week without phones would make it easier for us to get to know one another. The program leaders wanted us to focus on the people around us and the places we had come to see.

Our days were filled with exploring cities, visiting research labs and meeting scientists. But what stands out most when I think back isn’t any particular place. It’s how much time we spent talking to each other.

One evening after dinner, our group sat together for nearly an hour just talking. No one reached for a phone because no one had one. At the time, it didn’t seem unusual. Looking back, I wonder if that conversation would have happened the same way at home.

On long bus and train rides, instead of staring at separate screens, we talked. Small details outside the window, like an old church or a village tucked into the mountains, stood out in a way they probably wouldn’t have otherwise.

When our tech fast ended after a week, our group even voted on whether to continue it for the rest of the trip. The vote wasn’t unanimous. The majority decided to end the tech fast, but we also agreed not to let our phones change the way we’d been spending time together.

When I got my phone back, the first thing I noticed was the sheer volume of what had accumulated: text messages, email, Instagram posts and notifications. Almost immediately, I found myself trying to answer a message while carrying on a conversation with someone standing right in front of me. I had been doing that for years, but after a week without my phone, it was impossible to ignore.

That made me wonder: Does focus depend as much on the environment around us as it does on willpower? Was what I had experienced real, or was I imagining it? When I started reading about attention, I was surprised to find that psychologists had documented many of the same patterns.

Researchers at the University of California, Irvine have found that even brief interruptions make it harder to return fully to the task we were doing. Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin have also found that simply having our smartphones nearby, even when we’re not using them, may reduce the mental effort available for challenging thinking.

None of this means phones are bad. I depend on mine every day to stay organized, communicate with friends and manage a busy schedule. The experience made me more aware of when technology was helping me and when it was distracting me.

Since coming home, I’ve started making a few small changes. Sometimes I leave my phone in my backpack when I’m with friends. Sometimes I put it across the room while I’m studying. They’re simple habits, but they help me stay with whatever I’m doing a little longer.

Switzerland reminded me that our attention is limited and that where we choose to give it shapes our experiences. I’m still figuring out the right balance with technology, but I hope I don’t forget what that week without phones showed me.

Originally published in the Weston Observer as part of my monthly column, The Student Observer, on July 24, 2026.