This week I tried the hardest feat yet – trying to lessen my phone usage in order to focus better. I'm not sure that I really succeeded this task, but I did learn a lot over the course of the week.
It was brought to my attention at the beginning of the week that we as human beings are too distracted to pay attention to our surroundings. Walking from point A to point B, we see an opportunity to check social media, catch up on emails, or watch viral videos. There is so much going on inside the little electronic bricks on which we spend a fortune that we think it is too boring to simply take in the world around us for 2 minutes.
It's one thing to be walking to class, where you're on a sidewalk and you're trying to avoid other students handing out flyers, but it's an actual life threat to be on your phone while walking across the parking lot into a store, where cars are too busy trying to scope out the closest parking spot to pay attention to you passing by. And we're all guilty of it.
Not to mention, with all the sketchy people walking around nowadays, we need more than ever to look up and pay attention to who is around us in case an emergency takes place and the police need a sketch of a suspect. So I made an effort to put it away.
It was crazy how much I missed by being on my phone. I had to train myself not to pull my phone out of my pocket while I walked to class, or pull it out of my backpack during class. I can't believe how much of a subconscious effort it had been to reach for my phone, even when I had nothing to look at.
The first couple days were actually easier, as the challenge was fresh and exciting. But as the week led on, I realized how difficult it really was to stay off my phone. By the third day, I couldn't fight the urge to share unnecessary information with the hope that a crowd consisting mostly of people I don't even talk to anymore will care. I found myself sharing old nostalgic photos of my travels on Instagram because I wasn't on my phone enough to take new photos.
Thinking back to my usual presence on social media, I realized how much of an impact social media has actually had on my professional development. Although I know I spend way too much time sharing unnecessary memes and articles, it's also a way to share my voice. It's a way to present myself to employers. And most importantly it's one of the most important ways to market a business nowadays. All of these things I utilize social media for on a daily basis, and by lessening my phone usage I lost all these things.
Where did my challenge lead me by the end of the week? I learned to enjoy my surroundings. I noticed the faces of people passing by. I listened to the birds' chirp. I also appreciated how much time I've invested into social media over the years. I realized how important my phone was for business when I was recruited to do the social media for my company.
It made me happy that what I know can sometimes be a waste of my time actually has a purpose. So like I said, I don't know if I was a successful attempt to keep my phone away in order to focus more, but it was rewarding in other ways. I challenge you to try to limit your phone usage and see how rewarding it is.