We need to stop looking into our hands so much.
Cells, berries, and ithings get too much attention.
Five days ago, I decided to try an experiment. It's part of my real world immersion program.
I'm doing my best to make it so no one knows I have a cell phone. No checking for emails or messages when people are around me. No answering a vibrating phone (a ringtone? please) if I'm in a face-to-face conversation with another human being (which I rarely do but have -- ruuude man).
My thinking here is this'll make me more available to the people in front of me and the life around me and also help me focus more. I'm guessing it'll also help me improve my real world communication skills (listening is a part of communicating) and consequently help me help others better.
The only downside I can think of is not being instantly available for a real emergency (but this is possible several times throughout the day anyway).
So far, it feels good. (update after 2 months below)
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(It's scary that people text and read while they drive (grown-ups are especially surprising given that we're not supposed to be that stupid)... make-up application too (yeah, I saw you taking that turn putting on your mascara in your rearview). I'm sure it'll slow down as we personally know more and more people who have accidents (severe or not) but we'll probably have to stick our finger in the socket a few times before we get disciplined.
If you're up for a frightening (and very disturbing) awareness video on the topic (I've shared it with my 15-year-old who is with driving friends now, but I'm pretty hardcore as you likely know if you read my stuff), here's 4 minutes. Do not watch it if frightening and disturbing are not your things. It's a British PSA.)
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Update: Nothing but great things to say about the device diet. In fact, I downgraded to a regular phone a couple weeks after this post. The phone still has great keyboard features, etc. but it's less of a distraction now (and I save $500 a year in usage fees). I did violate the diet a couple weeks ago though and got a lesson -- classic bad dad moment. I was looking up something on the phone at my son's basketball game and missed his one basket of the game. I'm pretty confident I won't pull that again (loser).
