It all started about ten years ago. The smart phone. The I-know-how-to-keep-you-coming-back phone. Even after all the news came out about how the phone companies purposefully created this little monster to keep us addicted, I could not quite kick the habit. I still have not. 

For long-time readers, you know this is not my first attempt to manage my love-hate relationships with my phone, to ameliorate its bad effects, which for me are a constant urge to check the stupid thing, to scroll mindlessly through apps (email, news, website stats, social media), and to feel a constant need for stimulation when there is a quiet moment. I feel like I am losing my ability to focus without distraction. And that is frightening.

In short, my smart phone is making me feel stupid.

It seems that every year I do a phone cleanse and then as soon as it ends, my bad habits creep back in. But here I am, trying again.

Today I am on Day 8 of the 2021 Smart Phone Detox. These are my rules:

Keep the cell phone off most of the day when I am at home. Having it on, even somewhere else is in the house, does not keep me from checking it. After all, I like to get up from my desk and stretch anyway, so having it upstairs when I’m downstairs is no deterrent. I let myself turn it on and check it about four times a day. I am hoping I can cut this back further, but I need it for texts. (Need?? Ugh. Not sure this is true.)

Forward calls to my landline. I LOVE my landline. Always have.

If I leave the house for work, errands, appointments, I can turn it on if needed.

Even when out and about, do not scroll mindlessly through apps. Case in point: yesterday I had a doctor’s appointment, and my physician was running (unusually) very late—an hour and forty-five minutes late—and I read a book (and finished it) and then forced myself to stare out the window at the trees and the birds even though my impulse was to use my phone for entertainment. I’ve been listening to experts talk about how whenever we have an unfilled moment, we reach for our phones (dopamine!) instead of letting our minds just focus on the world right in front of us. I did that yesterday. It was uncomfortable at first not to be checking my phone (what if an important text came through or there was an email from Gayle King???), but after a while, it felt good to just be in the moment and let my mind wander. I used to do so much more of that before the cell phone era.

I figure if I can do this for 28 days, I might just break my habit of the constant checking. Even though I am not doing this perfectly, and it’s only Day 8, I can tell you this: I like my life better with less of my smart phone.

A lot.

Now should I text all my friends about this? Just kidding.

Photo credit: Christina Rumpf from Unsplash.com

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