About two weeks ago I decided it was time to detach from my cell phone for a while. Knowing the amount of work on my plate, I realized I could never complete my unending to-do list with constant distractions from my cell phone. The plan? To turn my phone off completely and only check for notifications at the beginning of the day and before I went to sleep.

The results? I'm not sure I could attest to being 100% successful in this experiment. The reality is that no matter how hard I tried, I needed to check approximately every few hours to respond to pressing messages and what not.

I was pretty disappointed. Even though I was using my phone as a resource, I was surprised to see how dependent I was on it. Whether I was filming for journalism classes, confirming the day's plans, or using different apps, I could not accomplish the day without having my phone by my side.

On the bright side, I DID get a lot more work accomplished. I was productive and focused. By eliminating as many distractions from social media and group messages as possible, I was able to focus my energy on my priorities instead.

The biggest take away from this experience might be cliché, but very important; I don't need to be connected to my cell phone at the hip.

Actually, I think I find life more enjoyable when I limit cell phone interaction as much as possible.

Cell phones can be a great tool for communication to connect us with other and provides resources through app service and more. But when we let cell phones overrule our lives by checking them every other minute, it's time to weigh the number of benefits against the number of distractions.