12pm

I’d assumed I would spend my last day of this experiment calling everyone I could, but when Sunday rolls around I realise I can’t face it. I’ve had some lovely phone conversations this week, but I also feel a bit exhausted, like I’ve overused a muscle that I’d allowed to grow soft. And I’m not sure my ego could take the sound of another person’s voicemail message. So instead, I decide to make a note of everything I’ve learned over the last seven days.

Number one: phone calls are really out of fashion, at least with my friends. People tend to assume there’s some kind of emergency if you ring out of the blue – and some don’t answer at all. Lots has been written about the millennial fear of the phone call; if my one-week experiment is anything to go by, there’s something in that theory.

Number two: Text messages have their uses. One of the things I’ve found most exasperating this week is not being able to use iMessage or WhatsApp to discuss boring, practical matters. Speaking on the phone doesn’t make every interaction more meaningful, and that’s OK.

Number three: When you do get through to someone who’ll actually answer their bloody phone, it can be magical. I’ve had conversations this week that have made me feel closer to, and more engaged with, people I love – conversations I definitely wouldn’t have had if I’d have stuck to text.

The verdict: From now on, I’ve made a pact with myself to try and have at least one proper phone call a week with someone I care about. I’m also going to stop and think about whether I really need to WhatsApp-rant before I do so. But I don’t think I’ll be giving up texting for good. Some habits are just too hard to break.

WhatsApp is down: “I lived without WhatsApp for 1 week – and this is what I learned”