how to break up with your phone — 30 day challenge [day3]

This is a lie. Really, it is.

You’re probably thinking, “That Andy.. he’s so enlightened! He’s as righteous as they come with smart phones.” Facts — I knew I’d show my stats and I intentionally picked up my phone less. Ironically, yesterday yielded interesting insight you might find useful.

The perception of myself moving out of mom’s house was grandiose at worst. Stable career.. new apartment... read four books a month, date girls, workout — and I did those things. But something happened after six months of freedom. I got comfortable. You know what digital friend in your pocket aids in high levels of comfort? You guessed it.

I took days off. I downed broccoli and chicken last night — I deserve to veg out on Reddit. I lifted AND read a chapter of The 48 Laws of Power — I deserve to catch up with friends on IG and Facebook. Days turned into weeks. Excuses — my mind fabricated plenty of them as I reached for my phone. Soon, I started to reach for it out of boredom.

That’s what inevitable led me to this 30 day challenge. Speaking of the challenge, let’s get to it.

“The Devil is in the details, but so is salvation.” — Hyman G. Rickover

Day 3

Awareness and mindfulness are essential to this program. It’s the keys to unlocking your real relationship to your smart phone. Catherine Price lays out copious details on how to approach your emotional engagement with it. What I found most interesting was an exercise gauging your emotional state about your phone you can do, right now.

• First — notice how you’re feeling in this moment. Are you happy, pensive, perky, grumpy.. how’s your breathing: shallow or deep? Take a mental note.
• Now, reach for your phone. Hold it in your hands without opening it. Ask yourself the same questions above. Again, take note.
• Unlock your phone. Perform a task as you normally would: email, checking the news etc. Notice your moods. Is it shifting or the same?
• Lastly, lock your phone. Get it out of sight. How do you feel, now?

My takeaway from this exercise was not sexy.

I start with a calm and relaxed demeanor without my phone. Reaching for my phone gives me excitement and intrigue like I’m a dog in a park. After browsing blog feeds, I notice a lack of mental cognition. I’m mindlessly jumping around thought provoking articles without direction.

The scary part is I couldn’t tell you what they were about.

My phone is out of sight and I’m left feeling a mix of unease and anxiety. I think that’s enough disturbing self improvement for the day..