Five hundred and thirty one unread texts. Two missed calls. One week. No iPhone.

On Thursday, Feb. 3 at midnight, I locked my phone and tossed it to the side, beginning my experiment of a week without my phone except for journalism needs.

I convinced my friends to take my phone every day and snapchat the people I had streaks with.  Only four out of the seven steaks remained at the end of the week despite their hard work, but the longest — one hundred and ninety day streak — remained.

My week without an iPhone posed challenges when small benefits of owning an iPhone suddenly vanished, but it presented its own benefits as well.

For the first three days of my experiment, I was late to my carpool every morning when my longtime trusty watch no longer rested in my back pocket. While racing around my house, desperately attempting to quickly pack my backpack, I could no longer check the time on the run. I never realized my tardiness until it was 7:50 and I was still on the opposite side of town.

One day I showed up at school wearing a warm sweater, a fleece North Face jacket, jeans, and Ugg slippers, expecting a cool winter day, only to realize that the weather forecast for the day was in the mid-seventies. By the last period of the day, I boiled in my seat. I was so used to checking the Weather app in the morning while I got dressed for school.

While completing my SAT homework, I arrived at the timed essay and timed reading section part of my homework and, from habit, I began to search for my iPhone before realizing I would need to find an alternate timer.

Of all of the minor difficulties I faced, the worst was the feeling of disconnection I had without my phone. After years of talking in some way to my siblings, both currently in college in Minnesota, I barely talked to them over the week. Once during my experiment my brother called me on the home phone, something I do not recall ever happening before.

Naturally, no iPhone for a week provided advantages as well. Without a phone to text people questions or make plans, I began to think ahead more and plan for the future rather than pushing it off for later. I began to make more personal connections with people, realizing that I would not be able to talk with them over text.

In addition, I became slightly more productive, no longer able to check all my social media sites before finishing my homework. It was no longer nearly as convenient and accessible. I was forced to focus on my work without the constant distraction by my side.

As the experiment came to an end, I realized how dependent I had become on my iPhone in such a short period of time. My parents gave me an iPhone Dec. 2014. I have only owned my iPhone for slightly over a year, and already, I need it for basic, expected benefits. I learned that I take my iPhone for granted, neglecting to appreciate the millions of conveniences it offers me.

iPhone addiction plagues South Korea, and boot camps are offered in South Korea to prevent iPhone addiction, according to a 2013 Business Insider article.

South Korea does not stand alone in the problem, as iPhone addiction has increased in America as well, according to a 2015 New York Post article.

I didn’t experience any symptoms of withdrawal upon surrendering my device, but what needed to be accomplished became more difficult and time consuming.

My iPhone offered me a clock, flashlight, games, Internet, communication and much more. I was still able to use these during my experiment, but rather than using one, small, compact item, I had a clock, plus a flashlight, plus a computer and a telephone on the side. Owning an iPhone enabled me to only need one, small, high quality, but expensive item instead of purchasing multiple less expensive items that each had one use.

I would recommend for you to attempt living without your phone for a few days to learn how dependent you are on your phone. While completing this experiment, I realized that living without an iPhone, while inconvenient, is possible, and you can do it too.