Hi, author of the article here. You make a good point. This being said, it took me years to do this "not particularly difficult" thing. Why was that? The purpose of the article was to show to others "this is not a big deal, and here's a practical way you can do it". I think many (like myself not too long ago) feel overwhelmed by the possibility of living without a smartphone. It took a solemn decision on my part to sit down, reflect, and realise it was not too big a deal. This being said, it did require planning and preparation.