I recently read an article written by an old high school classmate who is the co-founder of an app that helps you put down your phone and not be distracted by social media if you’re trying to be productive. In the article she mentions (a previous article) losing her phone during her travels in China and how she went four weeks without a phone. For a generation that is hugely connected to their phones I’m sure it must have been a struggle to go without it for a month, not to mention being in a completely foreign country whilst phone-less. Turns out she really enjoyed “phone-free living” and was in no hurry to buy a new one once she returned home.She writes in the article about habits of people who are constantly on their phones. After reading through the article I realized I am at fault for not only one of these bad habits but all five habits.
1. Your a constant flake. Now that we can shoot off a quick text it’s become so much easier to bail on plans even if it is last minute. Maybe I had a bad day at work or I’m just too tired I can cancel my plans for dinner the day of the dinner.
2. You don’t respect people as much as you should. There have been many times people have been talking to me and I think I’m “multi-tasking” but listening and texting. I claim I’m paying attention to what it is the person who is physically there is saying when in actuality I’m paying more attention to my spelling in the text I’m currently writing.
3.You’re a terrible driver. I’m not a texting while driving person, I don’t talk on the phone while I drive. I do however listen to the music on my phone and scroll through the different tunes to pick what I want to listen to next. That’s just as bad as texting while driving.
4. You get less done. Case and point I’m routinely checking my phone while writing this post.
5. You use your phone a social crutch. Sometimes if I see people I don’t want to talk to I will pretend there’s something interesting or urgent on my phone to avoid having a conversation. When really I’m just swiping through Instagram posts. I cant sit and enjoy a nice sunset without checking my phone, or snapping a picture of it and uploading it to Facebook right away.
I could definitely afford to live less connected to my phone and live more in the moment. When I’m walking through a park I’m swiping through my phone, if I’m out for dinner with my friends I’m announcing it on Facebook, if I take a pictures I’m uploading it to Instagram. I always have my phone in my back pocket and the second I realize it’s not there I start to panic. Patting down every part of my clothing it could possibly be, and shoveling through my purse. I am obviously not one of those people who despise social media and using phones, but I think a “digital detox” is something that we all could afford to do every now and then.
Comment if you feel you’re too connected to your phone or if you feel you have a healthy balance. How would you start becoming less dependent on your phone?
Link to article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alanna-harvey/your-phone-is-likely-the-reason-bad-habits_b_9359806.html
Link to secondary article: https://medium.com/human-output/my-take-on-the-digital-detox-vacation-20ce478b8c74#.pgwfd4ifw
Algonquin College Social Media Certificate Program 
Hi Jade. It’s true that using our phone or email is often the easy way out. A couple of years ago I was asked to conduct mock interviews and critique resumes from 2nd year students graduating from the TV program at Algonquin. My biggest piece of advice (and maybe because I’m old school…) was to have them research the company they’re applying to, pick up the phone and call the appropriate person to ask for 5 minutes of their time to come in and hand in your resume in person. This accomplishes two things. It offers a personal connection to a hiring manager and it shows that you have the courage to go out and meet someone in person. When they’re weeding through all the resumes when it’s time to hire, chances are they’ll remember you first. A personal connection is the best way to stand out from the crowd in my opinion.
Here’s another excellent long-form piece on the importance and challenges of a digital detox: http://nymag.com/selectall/2016/09/andrew-sullivan-technology-almost-killed-me.html
Clearly, it’s a different sort of challenge for people who make their living online. When your professional and personal lives are so dependent on the Web, I can understand how much harder it is to unplug in the name of mental health.
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