How Smart Is Your Smartphone Making You?

You should have seen me beg. I was so desperate for the new iPhone 7 and I was determined to get Telstra to upgrade me for free. I had experienced a lot of issues with Telstra and I felt that I deserved a free upgrade. So, my boyfriend and I were upgraded to the new iPhone 7 and it was glorious. The phone quality was amazing, it was faster than my computer, and the variety of apps helped me bio-hack my health. The issue? I didn't put the phone down. Ever. It came with me in the car, into the bed at night and god forbid sometimes into the toilet. I even began to get wrist and hand pain from holding my phone so much. I was so tired of my boyfriend and I staring into our phones each night that I finally decided I had to make a change.

MAKING THE SWITCH

Even though I was still on a contract with Telstra, I decided to sell my smart-phone and make the switch to a cheaper phone. I took myself down to Kmart and bought a non-smart-phone. I brought the phone home only to realise that my sim card wasn’t compatible. Bugger! In the end, I had to buy a smart-phone, but I purchased the cheapest one I could find and deleted all the apps from it.

MY FIRST NIGHT WITHOUT A PHONE

One the first night without my smart-phone I had my first phone which didn’t work, so I had nothing! It was weird. When my boyfriend came home I find myself sitting on the couch staring at him while he played on his phone. I was almost bored. I couldn't have my regular iPhone time in bed (which often spanned over a few hours). It made me feel a little anxious. I opted to lay in the dark and let myself do something that makes me quite uncomfortable...think. That morning I felt amazing. I woke to my alarm clock and couldn't check my emails or social media. I wasn't constantly checking the clock and I found that I completed my morning routines in more peace and much faster. As high as I felt, I knew I had to go back to reality soon as I had business calls to make.

Because I have an online business I also purchased an iPad. This meant I could keep up to date with social media, but I found myself using the iPad less in bed. The only thing that I found challenging was that instead of having one device that does all, I had a phone, an iPad, a camera and a GPS. During the few months that I didn’t own a smart-phone I found that I was more likely to keep my phone in my bad when I went out, I was more likely to leave my phone on charge all day and I was less likely to check it first thing in the morning. I really enjoyed it. However, I couldn’t deny how easy a smart-phone was, so I went back. Having a break allowed me to see how addicted I was and has encouraged me to take breaks. While it was a little stressful making the switch to a non-smart phone and then back again, it is an experience I would recommend to everyone. Even if you only tried it for a week.

I would love to hear from you in the comment below. How smart do you think smart-phones are making us? Would you ever take a break? Are you happy with the way you use your phone?

Much love,