It was different.
More time consuming and more expensive to run a small business, for instance - the advantages that ebay and Amazon have brought are amazing.
But we talked to each other more, we looked around when we walked and I think we were more connected to our immediate surroundings than we are now, despite all our connectivity.
Oh, and you could leave the phone at home (no choice, really, it was hard-wired into place), and nobody could call you.