Why I Switched to a Flip Phone as an Autistic Adult in Burnout
My energy baseline has been around a 3 for over a year. To-do apps cost me 2-4 energy daily. That math leaves me with nothing—or less than nothing—before I've done anything else.
The Subtle Drain I Didn't Notice
My smartphone made it incredibly easy to switch between apps at a rapid pace. I was constantly switching between Discord and Telegram while talking with friends, and it was subtly draining me a lot in the span of just an hour or two.
I've tried apps like Todoist and TickTick. Both have way too many features I don't need. Both require multiple steps to complete one action. To create a task in TickTick, I have to click a button, type the task, set priority color, set recurring due dates. These apps assume I have the energy to perform these steps over and over.
I thought having my tasks automated would save me energy. Instead, constant task switching—task creation, info entry, save, repeat for 20-40 tasks—didn't improve my burnout recovery at all.
The Red Text That Stressed Me Out
Eventually my task list had 100+ items. 50-60 due daily. I started leaving tasks uncompleted. Each one showed red text revealing I didn't finish it. That red text created internal pressure: I have to complete this. Why didn't I complete it? Am I lazy?
I deleted apps. Telegram, Discord, Reddit, my browser, email, YouTube. I turned off all notifications. My baseline still wasn't improving. Even checking rideshare apps to see if my driver canceled was another drain—constantly monitoring something unpredictable on a device designed to keep me monitoring.
I'm not afraid to admit I was addicted to my phone. I've been trying for the past year and a half to aggressively get out of burnout.
The Switch
I bought a Sunbeam F1 Pro for $350. No social media apps. No app store. No ability to play videos or search the web. No weather browser. No Google apps. No workable hotspot. Just a phone, and nothing more.
For tasks, I switched to a Remarkable Paper Pro tablet and a physical calendar. I manually write down tasks, be more intentional with them, and simply cross them out when I'm actually done with them. No red text. No syncing. No company tracking what I write. Just paper and my own pace.
This is still a very new change. I know I'll have to force myself to be more intentional with what tasks I write. But intentionally having less freedom to navigate between apps—strictly having a tool rather than an all-in-one entertainment device and comparison machine—is something I didn't hesitate on.
About Me
I'm Omari, a 23-year-old autistic adult who's been managing chronic burnout for 5+ years while working warehouse shifts.
This is why I built Spoons. To help improve my energy baseline and track my burnout recovery by being mindful of what drains me. Now that my main phone is a flip phone and my task device is a Remarkable tablet, the intentional and deliberate use of those tools should significantly improve my baseline—which I can track to validate this switch both short and long term.
Launching April 2026. getspoons.app - One email when it's ready. No spam.
— Omari
Note: I'm sharing my personal experience as an autistic adult, not medical advice. If you're experiencing severe burnout or crisis, please consult a healthcare provider familiar with autism.