Art of Communication

I recently read an article in Elle that talked about what happened when a girl gave up her iPhone for 2 weeks.  Yes, a whole two weeks!  I quickly began to think about what would happen if I gave up my phone.  It will come as no surprise that my first concern was not having Siri to tell me how to get where I was going.  I am hands down the most directionally challenged person I know.  Next, would people think I was ignoring them?  Would I feel completely disconnected from the world?  What would I do throughout the day if I couldn't text 24/7 or check social media every free second I have? The truth is though the only thing my phone absolutely has to do is ring when scheduling calls me at whatever ungodly hour they decide to call.  Which means I could ditch my phone for a burner in a heartbeat.  So why wasn't I heading to the nearest store?

Well to answer that question honestly, I am one of those people who is attached to her phone.  I almost bought a Blackberry a la Sarah Jessica Parker (I am constantly channeling my inner Carrie Bradshaw) but I didn't because I would have to give up Instagram and Tumblr.  Yes, that was the deciding factor!    Writing this I realize how awful that is, to be so attached to something that has no meaning in the grander scheme of things.  My brother gets more likes than me on his Instagram pictures anyways.  At this point my wheels were turning about how I could lessen the amount of time I spend on my phone.  What could I get accomplished if I wasn't constantly distracted by my phone?  I could devote more time to writing, I could read books faster, I could just generally be more aware of my life and how I'm spending my time.  Then I had a very honest conversation with someone whose thoughts and opinions I have come to hold highly.  We were talking about how the amount of time we spend texting all day long every single day could become a bad thing really fast.  We love talking to each other but did we really need to spend all day long going back and forth? No we didn't!  I liked getting my "good morning" texts but we could easily give each other some space throughout the day.  You know what happened when we decided to take a step back...when we talked at the end of the day we got to actually tell each other about our days!  What a concept!  It was amazing!  So this is what freedom feels like I thought.  It was amazing how much I got accomplished and how efficiently I did so.  I wasn't pausing to text someone or check my Instagram throughout the day so I was just getting stuff done.  This post was nearly finished when I decided to write a letter I had been meaning to write and then headed to Barnes and Noble.  I spent a few hours just reading and browsing every section and not once did I stop to look at my phone.  I still have a long way to go before I have perfected how I use my phone now but today I found out how great it is to step away from it all!

Here is how I plan to change my approach to my cellphone:

1. I decided my first step should be getting rid of loud dings and bells and vibrations for text messages.  From now on my text messages are truly silent.  Throughout the day I will check my messages the way I check my emails, occasionally.
2. No more wasteful texting..."I'm on my way" "ok", anything involving one word or something that contributes absolutely nothing to a conversation.
3. No more phones at the table, the saddest thing I have seen is people sharing a meal and spending their time on their phones.  
4. I also moved all my apps that are at all related to social media away from the home screen so that I have to search for them to use them.  
5. I am going to make time to call people to catch up with them, make plans with them and spend more time having real conversations that don't involve hours of texting back and forth.
6. No more sleeping with my phone.  When I go to bed it will get put on the nightstand so I can grab it if scheduling calls but won't feel the need to check it throughout the night.

A part of me wishes I could go back to when my phone didn't have texting and people had to call me but since I don't see all my friends and family giving up their phones anytime soon I'll settle for my mini changes! I'm really excited that my phone battery is going to start lasting a lot longer which will be amazing since I can never seem to keep it from dying daily.  Not to mention I will have so much more to say when I talk to people, making the time so much more valuable!  I am really excited to not feel like I have to be constantly connected.  I dare you to try to step away from your phone and spend more time genuinely involved in living your life.

xxx

B