Phones down!
It never ceases to amaze me the power and addictive properties of those mini computers we carry around with us everywhere. Even though we know they trap us, hoard our attention away from the things we care about, ruin conversations, and leave us feeling massive FOMO, most of us still just can’t seem to put them down.
Last week I was driving home from dinner with a friend and saw an unnervingly common sight – someone walking across the street staring at their phone, no attention at all to traffic in any direction. We’ve probably all seen that video by now, from years ago, of that person looking so intently at their cell phone as they walked through the mall that they tripped over the edge and fell right into a fountain.
How do we stop the madness??!
When we are in the throes of our addictive tendencies with our phones, it’s hard to imagine how we could possibly extricate ourselves. The vibrate switch just doesn’t cut it. We need a systems reboot. Consider these ways to shift yourself away from your phone and into real life:
Remove apps from your home screen that pull your attention the most: it is surprising what a deterrent it is to go to your home screen and not see the app you’re looking for. If it’s buried in three folders, you are markedly less likely to open it – or even go looking for it – than if it’s right there on your home screen. (Pro tip: do this with your social media apps to start reducing usage!)
Start by choosing a specific occasion to put your phone in another place: dinner with loved ones is a great time to have your phone in a totally different room. Put it on vibrate or Do Not Disturb so that even a faraway ping won’t pull at you. Choosing specific times (like a meal, a walk, etc.) can help ease you into having your phone away from your fingertips on a more frequent basis.
Use Do Not Disturb mode and set expectations with your inner circle: when your phone is on DND, notifications won’t ping and calls won’t go through – UNLESS you set your phone to allow those in Favorites to break through or after multiple calls. Let those closest to you know that if you’re away or engaged in something, to only call if it’s an emergency, and then you will get their call. That means you don’t have to worry about texts – they’ll call if there’s an emergency – and other non-essential calls and texts are silenced.
Eyes up friends! Enjoy this life all around you!
