[pokler]

> A dumb phone - small and minimal functionality, easy to forget about

This requires more diligence, but can't you create the experience you want on a smart phone (no social media, disable all notifications, etc.) without giving up utilities that provide actual value, such as GPS / navigation?

> Exercise - no headphones, a gym provides background music and enough human contact to keep boredom at bay

Interesting. I feel like I am more distracted and unfocused when I listen to the gym's music (sometimes their music just doesn't match the intensity of the workout) or when I socialize between workouts.

[milesjag]

The practical advantages of tiny dumb phones outweigh the technical disadvantages. There are 2 kinds of trip:

A - I travel across the city to visit friends/family/work or go somewhere far but familiar.

B - I travel across the country or for an extended period of time.

A dumb phone will cover A and a smart phone will cover B. The switching of sims is a non-issue as situation A covers almost all of the time.

For exercise, I just found that eliminating the concern of what to listen to was the real gain

[eimrine]

GPS can be in not so malicious environment, I'm talking about separate GPS device instead of addictionful phone with no buttons, so-called smart but maybe not for end user's brain and free time.