That habit of always reaching for your phone

Naomi

I’ve written here about mindfulness a bunch of times, but have I written about literally doing nothing? On Friday, I went to Target to sell back my iPhone 4 for the new iPhone 5 that I’d pre-ordered (yes really, and I got $158 for it, so the new phone was only $50!), and since there was a great deal of server traffic since tons of people were also doing the same thing (the guy kept getting timed out or bumped out of the AT&T system), there were literally three whole hours between the time I wiped my old phone and handed it over and the time I had the new one in my little hands.

I didn’t realize I’d formed this habit, but apparently when a little time frees up, I reach into my pocket to check my phone.  Just sitting there with no way to call someone (without borrowing a phone), no way to receive calls, no Google at my fingertips, no e-mail, no blog access, no games, no Flipboard to read other blogs… well, I just didn’t know what to do with myself! It could have been the ’80s! (Seriously, what did we do back then?)

I am so NOT the person who gets the latest gadget first.  I mean, this happened everywhere, but at my Target there were 15 pre-orders and mine was the only one that happened to come in.  The others have to wait 2-3 weeks! The irony was not lost on me.  I  wanted the new camera capabilities and the speed of the LTE processor (and yes, it’s awesome), but I could have waited.  So I’m guessing maybe I was in this situation to teach me the importance of slowing the heck down!

I was internally laughing at my inability to just sit.  To just be.  Instead, I was thinking of how much I could be getting done instead of sitting there, wondering if someone was trying to reach me but couldn’t, and mulling over whether it’s good or not-so-good to be this dependent on a little device.  (I think I would take it to a desert island and be content for quite a while… as long as I could somehow charge the thing.)

So tell me… are you this dependent on your phone or is it just me? Yeah, that’s a trick question because I’m pretty sure you are, but share anyway.

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26 responses

  1. These are a few of my favorite things |

    […] My new iPhone – I really love it!; my grandmother’s pocket watch, which she wore on a chain around her neck; a beautiful wind chime; this little sign my dad gave me; the ceramic house that I painted one summer with my best friend. […]

    Reply
  2. Lisa

    Naomi–thanks for linking up in my Spring Cleaning post. I’ve often wondered, too, just what I did before my phone and being connected 24/7. It seems like a different world, you know? And I’m thankful for the ability to stay connected, just hoping to break the connections that bring me down. 🙂

    Reply
  3. sarahhuizenga

    Yes, unfortunately this is true. With a daughter away at college, I always carry it with me even around the house, just in case she calls. If the little ping of email goes off, I can barely resist the urge to look. But this said, from the days when my husband was addicted to his phone, if I am having lunch with someone or am in a group of some sort. I turn it on vibrate and leave it in my purse or in the car.

    Reply
    1. Naomi

      Oh me too, Sarah, and I try to turn it off or leave it in the other room when I’m with my daughter, but that can’t be all the time. We seem to live in an immediate gratification society all of a sudden. As soon as an email is sent, we are wondering where the reply is!

      Reply
  4. Minding My Nest

    totally get this post. 🙂 lol. but it was interesting while i was on vacation recently. no cell coverage and spotty wi-fi service made my phone pretty much useless. (except for pictures of course which is a totally different problem. haha) but i have to say that after the initial withdrawal, i found it quite nice to be unplugged and disconnected. exactly what i needed from my vacation.

    Reply
  5. Eydie

    Really, I didn’t even think of that. I’ll do it later today. Thanks!
    I hope everyone is feeling better. Cute pic of Hannah and Daddy on FB.

    Reply
  6. Eydie

    I suppose I would have responded quicker if I had an iphone. I am defiantly the minority. My phone is quite limited, and I pretty much chose it for that reason. I don’t want to be connected ALL the time. I get enough FB, emailing, ecourses, blogging, flickring, etc. at home. To be honest, it makes me a bit crazy how we are so much more connected today, yet so disconnected with the people who are in the same room with us.

    It really concerns me when I see how tech savvy my daughter (12 years old) and her friends are. They constantly text, send pics and videos via their cell phones, yet so many of them lack the skills on how to TALK on the phone. Yes, I see the benefits of texting (it’s a huge time-saver), and even thought I prefer not to spend my time talking on the phone, there are many time when I’d rather hear the sound of a human voice instead of receiving a text.

    Just to prove how simple I am with my phone … (please don’t laugh). I took several awesome photos (not the quality, just the visuals) on my phone for an ecourse I’m taking, only to find out that I could not upload them onto my computer. I guess I didn’t have access to “that” paid service. What’s it called, again. Naomi, I can hear you laughing.

    Thankfully, for me, my phone is not included in my list of addictions.

    Reply
    1. Naomi

      Yes, yes. I would like to be disconnected more of the time, and so I consciously put my phone down when I’m with my daughter more and more these days. Hmm… can you text me the pictures on your phone and I’ll email them back to you?

      Reply
  7. Radish

    I forgot to say that the worst is I check to see if people comment on my posts.

    Reply
    1. Naomi

      Oh definitely! I love my WordPress app. 🙂

      Reply
  8. Radish

    In fact I am dependent on my cell phone. Thank God I do not text. But it is an amazing bit of technology. Currently I am back to a paper calendar. But I love to photo. And I do check email.

    Reply
    1. Naomi

      You know, I am back to a paper to-do list because I keep deleting the note of to dos on my phone (or my daughter does!). It’s refreshingly simple.

      Reply
  9. j

    The whole reason i don’t own a smart phone is because I KNOW I will do this. I bring a book with me everywhere I go. Always. I read if I have spare minutes… which is still not just sitting, not just being. I totally get your inability to be still and internally quiet. I skip savasana in yoga, because it makes me antsy and nervous!

    I’m working on it. 🙂

    Reply
    1. Naomi

      That’s so smart, Judy. I used to have at least a few magazine pages in my purse all the time so I could read. I guess this shows how I have changed, maybe not in a good way. Thanks so much for visiting!

      Reply
  10. RnR

    I am still pretty new to the world of smart phones, so I am not so dependent on mine yet!

    How many missed calls and emails did you have??!!

    Reply
    1. Naomi

      Lol. No missed calls and e-mails I get tons of so I wasn’t worried about that. Today I am slowly going through my inbox from the past week and trying to take action on them, reply to them, or read and delete them. 🙂

      Reply
  11. tatterednworn

    No, it’s not just you! I traded my 3 for a 5 (just yesterday!) so there is a ton of difference. My 3 was so slow I didn’t use it as much as I will the new one, I’m sure. Switching from one page to another was an exercise in patience. I’m so excited to be able to do it quickly. I told my husband I need to increase my data plan with the new phone, but he encouraged me to stick with the old amount and see if I really need more. Should be interesting!

    Reply
    1. Naomi

      Oh yes, isn’t it amazing how fast it is??? I made sure they didn’t change my unlimited data plan because I know I’ll be doing a lot more on it now that I don’t give up because it’s so slow.

      Reply
  12. Cathy H.

    I think I’ll chime in here as the minority!. I have a really, really cheap phone that only rings if my daughter or sister call who both live out of town. I carry it in my purse for emergency reasons only! I can’t stand telephones, not even the house phone (yeah, I still have one of those)! I don’t know why I have this hangup about phones, but it’s there! My problem is my attachment to the computer! It feels so nice sitting in my rocking chair, my laptop on my lap and my feet propped up!!

    Reply
    1. Naomi

      Well I think that’s awesome, Cathy. I don’t like actually talking on my phone, or any phone. Even playing pretend with my daughter, I don’t enjoy it!

      Reply
  13. stacie

    I’m sick with the phone addiction too. I do try to ignore it, but it keeps calling out to me, what if someone has a question on my Etsy shop? What if one of my kids is texting me? And it goes on and on.

    Reply
    1. Naomi

      Yep. I know! At least we aren’t alone.

      Reply
  14. Desktop Dreams

    Oh boy me too always reach in the pocket check Facebook open Kindle just play…..

    Reply
    1. Naomi

      That’s the trouble… so many options!

      Reply
  15. Sherri B.

    lol, I laughed while reading your post because I do the same exact thing! The instant I’m somewhere that requires any waiting, I find myself reaching for my iphone. And you know, I think most people do this – I see it happening everywhere I go. Congrats to you on your new iphone 5! And thank you so much for your kind comment at my blog about my poem/art work. It’s greatly appreciated! 🙂

    Reply
    1. Naomi

      Oh good, Sherri. We are definitely not alone in this. 🙂

      Reply

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