Are You Addicted To Your Phone?
Are you addicted to your phone? I am.
Not in a call the authorities this is a crisis way. It's far more subtle. I know because I've consistently wanted to use my phone less, but find it very, very hard.
At it's best it's a gateway to some genuinely good stuff: entertainment, information, directions, family, friends, and clients.
At its worst, it's a distraction, a waste of time, and a watered-down version of connecting with an actual human in real-time or in real life.
I know I'm not alone. In the past week I've heard a client, my hairstylist, another coach, writer Elizabeth Gilbert, and podcaster Glennon Doyle talk about a similar challenge. We want more time to be fully present for the good things and less time on our phones.
Here are some of my favorite ways to potentially make that happen I'll continue to experiment with:
Treat your phone like a landline. Give it a home in your house and office (not on your desk!).
Get a safe and lock it up. It sounds extreme but for about $35 you can lock up your phone for a few hours so it's out of sight, out of mind.
Do a Digital Sabbath. Declare 1 day a week as being phone or even technology-free.
Schedule your social media time in your calendar versus randomly getting sucked in.
Turn off ALL your phone notifications.
Turn your ringer off for most or all of the day.
Take email off your phone.
Take apps off your phone.
Track the time you spend on your phone and on social and make it a game to reduce time you spend week after week.
Do a Digital Detox (see below for details).
Let me know what's worked for you and what you'll experiment with!