The Things I Like About My Phone
Like most people, I have a complicated relationship with my smartphone. I spend too much time with it, distracted from more important things. I'm concerned about social engineering, misinformation, and privacy. And, to put it simply, I feel worse the more I use it.
I realize I'm one tiny voice in a huge chorus of people with these concerns. And, like many others, I've been taking steps in an attempt to rein in my screen time. I've deleted some apps, disabled most notifications, and even switched to one of those minimal home screen widgets. Most importantly, I'm trying to be more mindful and intentional about my phone use. When I'm in the middle of another task or conversation and feel the urge to pick it up, I try to ask "why" before I listen to that urge.
All of this has helped... some. My screen time is down, but not as much as I'd like. And I'm not as consistent as I'd like to be. I've seriously considered moving to a "dumb phone" several times, but just can't make that switch. For all the frustrations, there are also some real benefits to having a tiny supercomputer in my pocket! Here are a few of the reasons I like having a smartphone.
The Obvious
Camera, maps, and music/podcasts. These used to be three devices to carry, power, and manage. Now it's all built into the phone, internet-connected, and always up to date. Timers, Reminders, and shared shopping lists with my wife. Weather forecasts on demand. So many little value adds throughout the day.
Prayer
I use the Ensō meditation timer daily in my centering prayer practice, and reference Daily Office and Every Moment Holy for helpful, pre-written prayers and liturgies throughout the day.
Health
Calory has been a vital app for my weight-loss and fitness progress, giving me the right amount of data-based help without becoming all-consuming. And I subscribed to Fitbod last year, which has been key to getting back into working out consistently and making the most of our humble basement gym.
Reading
I use the Bible app to track my daily reading and often listen to my daily chapters while I walk or exercise. When boredom strikes, I want to turn to ebooks more often instead of social media or games (still very much a work in progress).
Music
There are so many great apps for music-making, but I typically prefer my iPad's larger screen for those. Still, having a tuner and metronome always at the ready is valuable and adds to the list of single-purpose devices I no longer need.
I made this list because I want to keep myself accountable. These benefits are worth having a smartphone for me, but I want to use my phone primarily for these things instead of all the other nonsense. When I pick up my phone, I want to add value to my life instead of distracting myself from the world around me. If I want to do something not on this list, I want to think long and hard about it.
How do you approach using your phone mindfully? Have any of my readers gone back to a dumbphone? Feel free to email me and let me know - I'd love to continue the conversation. But I probably won't respond from my phone.
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