I just upgraded my iPhone to iOS 12 and saw the most glaring reality staring at me- a continuum measuring the time spent on social networking, creativity, and productivity. Guess what- I was embarrassingly unproductive!
Okay- Picture this! What is that one predictable scene at an airport, inside a train, in the doctor’s waiting room, people lined up in a queue or even someone alone at a café? They’re all angling their heads down to the digital world boxed inside their phone with power under their little fingers to liven up anything from messaging to online shopping.
While I was blogging this I read very interesting statistics in ‘The Guardian’- “In August 2018, research from the UK’s telecoms regulator, Ofcom, reported that people check their smartphones on average every 12 minutes during their waking hours, with 71% saying they never turn their phone off and 40% saying they check them within 5 minutes of waking.”
True that! The mental health [and physical, yes- of course!] concerns over the phone addiction is trending their way with Facebook and Instagram developing new tools designed to limit the usage. There is an alarming urgency to reduce the screen time, to be acted upon, Now!
Yes, Google will throw open myriad ways to control your impulse to connect with your phone, but my tips on temporarily disconnecting make more sense [to me]:
- Use a Diary to or a journal.
- Make a To-Do- List on Paper.
- Read Newspapers and Magazines.
- Use classic table calendars, planners, alarm clocks, and greeting cards.
- Set a time and limit for using social media instead of overindulgent random use.
- Recognize overuse of phone as an addiction and the selfie culture as an obsession.
- And, try placing your phone in the farther corner of the room…… [this really works!]