Leave Your Cell Phone Plugged In

I’ve been getting frustrated with myself lately. Staying at home with the COVID-19 shelter-in-place rules, I have found myself getting more distracted by things like email, checking social media, and reading the news. I find myself reacting to things in my environment, rather than being mindful about how I plan my day and what I want to accomplish.

Cell Phone Problems

I needed to make some changes. When I thought about it, I realized a lot of my issues had to do with my cell phone. There are a lot of awesome things about cell phones nowadays, but one of the drawbacks is that if I’m bored (even for a second), I can always do something to distract myself. I can check social media, read the news headlines, or play a game. I realized that whenever I found myself getting a little bored or restless, I would immediately reach for my phone and engage in some mindless behavior. This wasn’t helping me to live a purposeful life.

Leave It Plugged In

One thing I’ve been trying lately is to leave my cell phone plugged into the wall. It isn’t a drastic change—if I want to check the news or send a text, I can walk over to my phone and do it. But since it’s not in my pocket, I can’t just pull out my phone automatically. I have to actually make a conscious decision to walk over and use my phone. It’s a small change, but it has helped me break the cycle of always pulling out my phone whenever I have a free second.

Now, this system isn’t perfect. It doesn’t work when you are out and about doing errands. But I would encourage you, at least when you are at home, don’t keep your cell phone in your pocket. Take it out and leave it plugged into the wall. Try to make more conscious decisions about what you do with technology, rather than having it creep into every free moment.

Discussion

How do you make decisions about using technology in your life? What has helped you to set boundaries around technology?