Tranquilosophy: Disconnect

I, too, am guilty of this constant connection at times and I don’t like it. Yet, I find myself reaching for my beloved iPhone more often than necessary—between clients, after classes, in the elevator, and random moments in between.

I’ll bet you can relate. How do we befriend our tech toys so that they enhance our lives rather than distract?

Some Sundays I try digital days off (an entire day offline) and notice the urge to reach for my phone out of habit. If I can resist the urge, it subsides and I’m able to go on without having to deal with what’s waiting in my inbox. That’s for Monday.

Another helpful shift is not reaching for my phone first thing in the morning. I charge it in another room, so it isn’t by the side of the bed waiting for me when I wake up. This allows me to focus on my priorities before others’ and start my day refueling by walking Mookie, making tea, and reviewing my Daybook for the day’s MITs {Most Important Tasks}.

One University of Derby study found that one in eight were addicted to their smartphones and that the average user spends 3.6 hours per day on their device. A University of Missouri study found that iPhone separation anxiety caused physical responses and diminished cognitive skills.

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