'I haven't used a mobile or computer in years - I run my business with pen and paper'

A 38 year old business owner has retreated to "analogue mode" - abandoning his mobile phone, bank card, computer and internet to operate exclusively with pen and paper. John Foley ditched his iPhone 14 three years ago after becoming "constantly distracted" by emails, messages and notifications.

Subsequently, he disposed of his computer and rejected his bank card in favour of cash. The father-of-two, who operates an award-winning plant nursery in Holden, exchanged them for traditional diaries and pencil and paper.

In 2024, he also eliminated using the internet altogether and now composes documents and reports by hand or adds notes to his chalkboard.

He said: "It has been very therapeutic and liberating - I feel like I have taken back control of my life, mind, and sense of achievement.

"My daily screen time was around 5hrs and 40mins a day - which isn't an insane amount, but it was time which I thought I was being productive with. But in reality I wasn't and I have now gotten that back.

"As well as not being readily available through a phone at any moment has slowed me right down, and actually, and has improved my quality of life. My days feel four times as long and I now find myself living in the moment.

"My brain is able to think rather than being forced to work in overdrive. I'm never itching for my phone to fill awkward spaces of dead time or awkward moments." The last occasion John used his mobile phone was on Tuesday, June 13, 2023. His contentious choice followed two "life-changing" trips without it, after leaving it powered down at home.

The first was a journey to London on May 18 to meet the then Floral Development Manager of the Chelsea Flower Show, Helen Boem, to talk about his app "The Wonder Garden" that he and his colleagues were developing.

The app enabled customers to plan their own gardens and flowerbeds through his nursery using AI. He said: "We missed our train due to being late, because one of us forgot our phone charger.

"Then that night, when we got to the house I rented, I stayed up late texting. So the next morning, I made the decision to just go without it.

"It wasn't easy, but I found that I actually had time to speak to people, and any worries about emails or WhatsApps to reply too, well they just had to wait. The next day we went to Lambeth Palace Museum and I left without it again - I was able to focus and learn like I hadn't in a long time."

The motivation also arose when on the journey back from London he noticed a woman writing in a diary. He said: "Back in the day, all these important businessmen and huge companies worked on pen and paper, so why can't they now?" Then a fortnight later, on June 4, he embarked on a weekend camping trip to Pen-y-ghent, in the Yorkshire Dales, with six friends once more, leaving his device behind. Though he admitted he'd only left it at home because he was running late, having been "replying to texts, emails, and scrolling".

Following the trip, he set himself a two-week deadline to go phone-free permanently and developed an "overwhelming feeling" he didn't want to use it anymore.

However, he ended up abandoning it a week ahead of schedule, switching it off and stashing it somewhere in his home - setting himself the challenge of going without it for five years. The following day, he walked seven miles into Clitheroe to purchase his first diary after forgetting his Amazon password and being unable to complete two-step authentication on the website Etsy.

In September 2024 he scrapped his email and internet access entirely, preferring to deal with clients face-to-face and providing handwritten plans and documents, something which he says customers "appreciate".

Then in the autumn of 2024 he stopped carrying a debit card, though he still maintains an account to cover his bills, all handled via direct debit. Customers can still reach the company by landline, post or email, and he has passed on technology-related tasks to other members of staff, though he intends to phase out those methods too.

John admits the first winter without a phone was tough, revealing he felt "very lonely". He also had to learn how to properly organise both himself and his time. He is now exploring ways to make his company completely technology-free, with hopes of reverting to pen and paper before the end of 2026.

John's The Wonder Garden app was also scrapped, but was transformed into a face-to-face business concept that he promoted largely through word of mouth and the community gardens he manages at the nursery.

He said: "Time poverty is what the world suffers with in 2026, but when you come out, everything slows down and you reclaim it."

He is now looking to establish a charity to create green spaces for communities alongside local councils, giving children the opportunity to step away from technology and discover the joys of gardening.