Distance your Phone

Who do you think knows you best? Your partner? Your parents? Your pals? Or in this world of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), could it actually be your smartphone?!

In terms of possessions, my wedding ring comes in contact with me (i.e. my person) the most at 24hrs per day, but after that it’s my smartphone that comes into contact with me the next most often, ahead of clothes, bed, sofa, headphones & computer keyboards. Maybe if I played a musical instrument, it’d be high up there too.

My iPhone is rarely further than 1m away from me at any time (when I’m awake). I’ve owned one for the past 12 years (after a few years of Blackberry, remember them?) and if I use the average-user number of unlocks per day (which is 80 or 5 per hour) that would mean I’ve accessed my iPhone 350,400 times! And with each and every tiny interaction, it’s getting to know & understand me, as well as learn my daily patterns and habits. If this unnerves you at all, then please avoid reading Scary Smart by author Mo Gawdat, the former chief business officer at Google [X].

Some interesting research has highlighted just how attached we’ve become to our prized digital possession. There’s probably no debate that they are incredibly useful devices for multiple reasons, but our relationship to them has created a “brain drain” - EVEN when they are switched OFF!! The study authors express that although our devices have immense potential to improve our welfare, their persistent presence may come at a cognitive cost. Their experiment involved participants taking a series of tests that required full concentration under three different conditions (i) putting their phone in another room (ii) placing on a desk facedown (ii) keeping it in their pocket or purse.

Those who put their phones in another room did significantly better on the concentration test than those in the other groups with the researchers suggesting that the closer the phone is, brain power has to be used on actively NOT picking it up. Just its physical presence is enough to create a brain drain!

So, this week’s task is all about starting to create some physical distance between you and your phone, especially when any concentration is required. You might be doing some deep work, eating with your family, in a business meeting, talking to a loved one at the end of the day, or playing with your children and do I even need to say about going to bed. Distance your phone!

Start by disabling all your notifications then choose a place at home where “the phones all go” which is away from any room dedicated for relaxation. Have a cut-off time, such as 9pm, when the phone disappears off to its destination, where it can be recharged and collected next morning. Disable your smartwatch from receiving any notifications after this time too.

Now watch this classic clip from Simon Sinek - you may have seen it before - but you should watch it again and then act. Change the habit.

ALSO, DID YOU KNOW? It’s now illegal to hold and use a phone, sat nav, tablet, or any device that can send or receive data, while driving or riding a motorcycle (6 points and £200 fine). This came into force on 25th March 2022.

Have a great week. Keep up your good habits.

#HealthyHabits

Source:

Brain Drain: The Mere Presence of One’s Own Smartphone Reduces Available Cognitive Capacity