I promise this happened… Last Friday I was having lunch with a friend of mine, Tom Weis. After we were done, I went to the bathroom. I noticed a fellow patron was using the urinal and had his right hand elevated so he could easily read his phone. I admit that I was curious what he was reading. After all, if he’s using one of his hands during this process to read his phone, it must be important. After realizing I could probably take this guy if he got weirded out by me looking over his shoulder, I decided to check out what was so important. That’s when I saw it … yep, he was reading Facebook.
How many of you have done this? Ladies, no urinal comments please. Seriously, have you read Facebook or some other piece of meaningless information in a situation that required full attention? I have. Never in a urinal, but I have to admit that I’ve found myself reaching for my phone to check out Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, email, or some random texts. We’re addicted to constant stimulation and information… and it’s killing our ability to perform to our full potential and enjoy life.
My New Year’s resolution in 2014 was to break my addiction to instant and constant information. In 2007 my boss Nirav Pandya created a policy for our weekly executive meetings: every time we checked our Blackberries or took a call, we owed a dollar to a piggy bank that he placed at the center of the table. I immediately took out a $20 bill and stuffed the pig… that might get me through that meeting.
Well, my resolution worked, and below are three ideas that I implemented that helped me break my addiction to my phone and the constant need for information.
- I leave my phone at home or in the car. When my wife and I go somewhere, I leave my phone at home as long as she has hers. If I’m on travel for work, I’ll leave it in the car when I have an appointment.
- When in the office, I turn off my email and internet except for designated times. I check my email four times per day: when I arrive, 10:00 am, 2:00 pm, and at the end of the day. I block off time to focus on my email, but never let email distract me. My inbox is empty at the end of every day, and I don’t let email interrupt any thought process or call throughout the day.
- Social media is a guilty pleasure for me. I love Scotch, but I never drink Scotch during the work day. Social media is the same for me – I enjoy it, but I don’t mess with it during the work day.
For the record, all of these habits took time. The first time I was at breakfast with my wife and daughter without my phone, I almost lost it. The two of them walk down the avenue to check out a new store after we ordered, and I sat there at the table by myself… with nothing to do. I’d like to report that I shifted into a higher consciousness, but I just got anxious. However, after a few incidents like this I was fine and now love not being addicted to the phone.
Give these ideas a shot. There is nothing novel about them, but you’ll be challenged!
