Lately, I’ve been feeling overwhelmed. My calendar is overscheduled, and my physical space is overfilled with things that don’t serve me or my family. I felt the need to make more space in my life. Space to take bigger risks, try something new or simply spend more time with the people I care about. So, I thought I would take a break and try this minimalism movement I have heard so much about.

Put plainly, minimalism is a lifestyle practice focused on minimizing distractions that keep you from doing what matters to you. After reading a lot about this practice, I think it can be simmered down into a simple concept most can appreciate – it is about owning only what adds value and meaning to your life and removing the rest. It’s about removing the clutter and using your time and energy for the things that remain.

For this experiment, I did not want to jump straight into the deep end, so I set out to replace two items in my life with simpler, less distracting alternatives. I decided I would replace my smartphone and my connected display/alarm clock (Google Hub), these two items kept me constantly connected to the outside world and were a large source of distraction as I attempted this mini digital detox. Given the work I do, I still needed a phone and a means of waking up in the morning to keep my job, so I replaced them with the best ‘dumb’ phone and simplest alarm clock I could find. This is a review of two items that have made my life better.

I started with my phone, I needed a tool for calling and basic texting and not much else. I landed on the PUNKT MP02 cellphone. For the unaccustomed, PUNKT products are built with simplicity and sophistication in mind and that is exactly what the MP02 is all about, it is a well-crafted mobile phone that encourages you to take a break from the connected world. Building on their original MP01 with its inspired product design by Jasper Morrison, great pocket-ability, battery life, and superb loudspeaker packaged in a simple and intuitive Android-based interface that any generation would find refreshing; their latest offering shares many of the same great characteristics with a few new added features.

The original candy bar ergonomic design remains, except this year PUNKT has changed the outer texture to be more colorful and grippier which is a welcome change to the slippery bar of soap the original became when your hands were even the slightest bit moist. Secondly, the inclusion of 4G LTE and Wi-Fi hotspot connectivity means better call quality with Voice over LTE or (VOLTE), and the data connection can be tethered to a tablet/laptop which allows for more convenient typing in comparison with a smartphone, and a bigger screen. There is also a downloadable privacy feature – Signal Protocol – that provides free, encrypted Internet-based calls and texts worldwide via Wi-Fi or mobile data (subject to data charges), and all metadata is encrypted. Also of note are improvements in the loudness of the speaker, Nano-sim support, and USB-C type charging which should complement the already stellar 12-day battery life.

Then, was my alarm clock, and again PUNKT had the answer. Their AC02 Alarm Clock is about as clean and minimal as it gets when it comes to telling the time. This beautiful modern classic clock takes its design cues from the Bauhaus design movement of 1920s Germany and features high-quality Japanese quartz movement.

With a solid aluminum body with an anodized finish flanking the art-deco-inspired clock face covered with scratch-resistant glass, this was quite a beautiful way to tell the time. Of note were the glow-in-the-dark luminescent hour points, clock hands, and alarm time indicator complete with a white LED light ring with auto fade-out by button press. The last checkpoint for me was the alarm functionality, I needed a simple and subtle way to turn the alarm on or off, and with the AC02, it could not have been any easier than rotating the rocker ring that encases the clock mechanism on the back of the product. I am also a big fan of how the status of the alarm is displayed on the face of the watch by an indicator dot located above the hands. It was reassuring to me especially the first few days of this experiment as the fear of not waking up and missing work kept permeating my connected brain.

So, after 30 days, what did I discover? First, PUNKT’s products truly are created with simplicity in mind, they seamlessly embedded themselves into my life and genuinely made it uncomplicated. Using them, also helped me to adopt better usage habits with my tech and prioritize those things and the people that matter most. Secondly, it is not easy to declutter our lives when everything we own from our fridges to our phones are connected to the outside world and are constantly vying for our attention. Lastly, I am not sure I could adopt this minimalist philosophy full time but I do think now and then it is important to unplug and put our things away, they don’t need to be constantly present in our lives because to quote one of my favorite movies – “Get busy living or get busy dying”, you only have 86,400 seconds in a day, so make the most of everyone.

Check out these products and more at https://www.punkt.ch/en/