I just dropped my phone. As I held my breath and picked it up, I was relieved to find that it was still working. But that reminded me of a time last year when my cell phone had a hardware failure on the first day of a 2-week-long business trip. Knowing I was not going home for 13 more days and that it would likely be another couple of days before I had a working phone, I could feel myself starting to panic. How could people reach me? How could I get my emails and keep on top of things? How would I hail a cab when I was out and about? How would I do my daily exercises on Lumosity, DuoLingo, Virgin Pulse, Insight Timer?
And then I recalled seeing a book called How to Break Up with Your Phone in a little bookstore in Tahoe, California. I didn’t buy it so I can’t speak to the contents, but the irony is not lost on me. Without my phone, I found workarounds for what I really needed but what surprised me what how much I seriously enjoyed NOT being able to see my email every minute of the day. I was still connected but it was to the beauty that surrounded me: the sights, the weather, and mostly the people.
What are you missing because your phone is getting most of your attention? How could you (and others) benefit from your unplugging?