I Lived 30 Days Without a Number—Here’s How
Posted: Tue May 27, 2025 4:08 am
Introduction:
For 30 days, I decided to live without using or recognizing any numbers. No clocks, no money tracking, no counting calories, steps, dates, or likes. Not even saying "just a second" or "give me five." My goal? To see what life would feel like when stripped of the quantifiable, the measurable, the countable.
Outline of the Experience:
Why I Did It
My growing obsession with tracking apps
Feeling overwhelmed by metrics (calories, followers, deadlines)
A desire to reconnect with qualitative life
Setting the Rules
No use of numbers in speech, writing, or thought special database (as much as possible)
Analog tools only: sun for time, mood for energy, intuition for distance
Allowed to use replacement phrases: "a while" instead of "10 minutes," "some" instead of "2"
Week 1: The Shock of Unmeasured Time
Missing appointments
Cooking without measurements
The odd liberation of not knowing the time
Week 2: The Social Disconnect
Struggling with birthdays, ages, and prices
Feeling out of place in a digit-drenched world
Week 3: The New Rhythm
Relying on the body's internal clock
Measuring success through feelings, not stats
Richer conversations that weren’t timestamped
Week 4: The Inner Shift
Feeling less anxious
Discovering how often numbers dictated self-worth
Letting go of productivity guilt
Challenges and Slip-ups
Unavoidable moments (Google Maps, bank logins)
The difficulty of completely eliminating a number-based mindset
What I Learned
Numbers are tools—not truth
Life is more vivid when lived in analog
We don’t need to count everything to make it count
Would I Do It Again?
Not fully—but I now live with a healthier balance
I count less, and care more
For 30 days, I decided to live without using or recognizing any numbers. No clocks, no money tracking, no counting calories, steps, dates, or likes. Not even saying "just a second" or "give me five." My goal? To see what life would feel like when stripped of the quantifiable, the measurable, the countable.
Outline of the Experience:
Why I Did It
My growing obsession with tracking apps
Feeling overwhelmed by metrics (calories, followers, deadlines)
A desire to reconnect with qualitative life
Setting the Rules
No use of numbers in speech, writing, or thought special database (as much as possible)
Analog tools only: sun for time, mood for energy, intuition for distance
Allowed to use replacement phrases: "a while" instead of "10 minutes," "some" instead of "2"
Week 1: The Shock of Unmeasured Time
Missing appointments
Cooking without measurements
The odd liberation of not knowing the time
Week 2: The Social Disconnect
Struggling with birthdays, ages, and prices
Feeling out of place in a digit-drenched world
Week 3: The New Rhythm
Relying on the body's internal clock
Measuring success through feelings, not stats
Richer conversations that weren’t timestamped
Week 4: The Inner Shift
Feeling less anxious
Discovering how often numbers dictated self-worth
Letting go of productivity guilt
Challenges and Slip-ups
Unavoidable moments (Google Maps, bank logins)
The difficulty of completely eliminating a number-based mindset
What I Learned
Numbers are tools—not truth
Life is more vivid when lived in analog
We don’t need to count everything to make it count
Would I Do It Again?
Not fully—but I now live with a healthier balance
I count less, and care more