Life without a cellphone seems stupid. As a young college girl with more anxiety than even a dinosaur could take on, I just see red flags and danger everywhere, and not having a way to speed dial Daddy, UAPD or my sister is just dangerous. But, realistically, is becoming a Luddite more plausible than we all think?

Over the weekend, a close guy friend of mine lost his cellphone. Not surprising, considering last Saturday, but what is surprising is his reluctance to get a new one.

The iPhone 5 has just hit the shelves, and it’s unbelievable. Life as we know it is run by that little box of metal and glass we carry in the palm of our hands. Personally, mine syncs data onto my laptop and iPad; that way, I’ll never miss a thing. So, why not just go get another one?

Well, I’ve learned a little something from the aimless frat boy who’s trying to outsmart the newly trendy “old-fashioned” hipsters by becoming a Luddite. Not having a phone is powerful. It makes the rest of the world run on your time, not theirs.

Interestingly, Warren Buffet doesn’t carry one, and he’s one of the most successful men in the world. And, according to Bloomberg Businessweek, neither does Mikhail Prokhorov, Russian billionaire and owner of the New Jersey Nets.

The idea of not having a cellphone seems simpler than is even imaginable. If you don’t have a phone, you’re not worrying about where it is, who’s going to call or what’s going to happen next.

The best part is that you’re more engaging. I’ve been trying to go phoneless. Actually, I’m lying – what I have been doing is trying to use my phone less.

I deleted some useless apps–Angry Birds and Stars Wars–and even broke down times of when I would use my phone and when I wouldn’t. And it worked. I got more done today than I could ever imagine. I wasn’t lost or stressed out or even surprisingly out of touch. I also had a few very meaningful conversations that probably would never have happened with me completely besotted over my email for five minutes.

Nomophobia, or no-mobile-phobia, is the arbitrary diagnostic term for being afraid of not having your cellphone. Don’t believe me? Google it. And while you’re at it, look up “cellphones” and “brain cancer” too. And that’s not even the worst part. According to the Huffington Post, 15 percent of people answer their phones during sex. Really?

Having a phone to organize your life isn’t always organizing your life. I’ve learned that I was always a little distracted. The glorification of the phone comes from the glorification of being busy, when actually, it’s clearly overrated.

Yesterday, I had lunch outside. I took a break from my metal box and ran with my puppy instead. I also wrote this article, two papers and had time for light reading. What did you do?

Sophia Fazal is a senior majoring in anthropology. Her column runs biweekly on Wednesdays.