Tag: cell phone

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Notifications and the Work We Miss

That buzz is annoying isn’t it?

Every zing, ding, badge, buzz, and pop sound instantly grabs my attention.

In a few minutes, I go from working diligently to finding an excuse to get to my phone. Soon I start “the cycle” and next thing I know, 20 minutes have gone by.

This only happens when I don’t intend to use my phone. 

Thinking back on it, I’ve never gotten a text that needed a direct answer immediately. That goes double for email. Phone calls have more importance, but we all have free answering machines (who calls people anymore anyway :-]).

Notifications are a bane on our existence. Nothing effects day-to-day concentration like them.

The effects are widespread, pulling us out of flow and depth and leaving us very superficial and disjointed. That superficiality and disjointed nature leave a lot of work on the table. Instead of the interesting stuff that we have the power to craft now, we spend more time creating tweets, texts, and Facebook comments that don’t push our skills or help us grow.

Serious, right?

I turned off my notifications for almost all my apps on my iPhone, and most badges (still have one for text, I should get rid of it). The hope is, I stop looking at that buzz so much and focus on whatever I do.

I hope you join me, there is so much work to do.

 

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My Phone… Get Away From Me.

How much sleep do you get

I overestimate and under value the sleep I get.

This happens because I count the hours in bed as the hours of sleep. The thing is, for an hour before I go to sleep and an hour I wake up, I am not asleep.

My phone has to get the “cycle.”

The cycle is  texts, emails, “Boom Beach,” and social media I can fit in before I start to feel tired or there is nothing less. Then I allow myself to put on some music and go to sleep.

I know intellectually that this isn’t good for me, but I still do it.

Last year I wrote about not taking my cell phone to work, and the changes it made.

This month, I am removing my cell phone from my bed room before bed.

I’ll let you know how it goes.

 

 

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“The Slip” – Look Inward, There Is Empathy There

The slip is real

Slips happen. They happen all the time.

My latest one is dealing with my cell phone.

It started as a one time thing, and now I find myself engaging back into old habits. Its funny, as I write this, I find myself trying to claw for excuses. I keep centering myself back on this because there are none. I have to come to grips with the fact I am dependent on my phone as a hiding mechanism, and it’s a black hole when I need to work.

That urge to hit Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or Snapchat is solid. I use those products often because I am learning how to understand them, but I know there is a difference between learning and hiding, and I get nervous because I notice I am hiding.

The good thing though, is with a relapse, we get the opportunity to find our humanity, and the chance to rebuild. If we are lucky, we even get a dash of empathy when we realize how quick addiction happens, and how ubiquitous it is.

Addiction is everywhere, but so is empathy

It’s really easy to judge. Empathy is much harder. It requires us to go outside of ourselves to understand that we all make mistakes, including us. It takes much more energy.

But, the good news is by exercising it, you end up much happier along with the by-product of understanding people more, which makes your interactions more pleasant. It also works with your own issues. When you slip, you can forgive yourself.

It is the key to getting over anything.

Don’t beat yourself up, its a process

With my cell phone usage, I recognize how easy it is to allow myself to get back into old routines. Change is an active process, and one that requires much more vigilance than going with the flow. You will slip.

I also recognize that I am a human being, and things happen. Mistakes get made, but how we deal with them ultimately make us better.  So, the next time someone is falling, help them up, because you help yourself too.

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No Cell Phone Day 2 – No One Died

I got home late last night – about 15 hours with no cell phone.

Came back to a few messages, a few emails, and a lot clearer head.

Took care of my cell phone business – which took about 15 minutes, and went about my evening.

I woke up this morning, went into my old habit of checking my cell phone when I woke up, and then put it aside.  Got dressed, walked to work – no phone.

No one died, no business crashed, nothing crazy happened. I just went on about my day yesterday.

Perfect chance to do it again.

I am noticing:

  • No Music – I’ve experimented with this on and off for the last few weeks. With no phone, I can’t listen to anything.My mind is clearing up during the day, and it has time to work through some things.
  • Speaking More – I find myself talking in my head more. Usually music or a text gets my attention, but with nothing on around me my internal engine starts going.
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No Cell, No Ding, and It Sucks

 

When I was in college, I once lost my cell phone. I didn’t have a job, so I couldn’t replace it. I was on campus, almost alone, so I couldn’t scrounge up the money. I was effectively cut off.

I scrounged in my room and eventually found an old phone that had no battery and the charger. So I now had a phone – just it would be tethered to my room.  It was a flip phone, so no apps and texting was a bear (I got used to the keyboard on my Treo – I wasn’t going back).

It was painful, since I was on campus and alone. But, something interesting happened.

I lost a bunch of weight, wrote like a madman (Launched my first major column), got my first tech startup brand moving (TGS!!!!) and found myself free of my need to respond to many other beeps. I didn’t recognize it, but I ended up having one of the most productive summers in my life, all kicked off by losing my cell phone.

So, I am giving it another shot and…

This stings.

The first day without a cell phone is harsh. I want to answer a text – send a tweet, get into a Facebook argument, almost anything to get out of the current moment and be distracted.

It’s amazing how strong the hold is, even when the reason is staring me in the face, I still need to check something or do something.

The first day is necessary, but I remember that great summer, so I have to start somewhere. Why not here, jonesing, for the first hit of that text.

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