People are Being Enslaved To Their Smartphones
I’m going to share with you something I can’t stand.
It drives me nuts.
A major pet peeve is when I’m with someone and they take out their phone to check their latest Facebook alerts, text messages, or emails.
I pity these people who are slaves to their smartphones.
They are slaves to their phones because even though they understand the importance of our meeting and respect my time, they cannot CONTROL their urge to check their phones.
It’s ironic I am writing this post because I’m so excited about the new iPhone that was just released today. I plan to get it the second it becomes available on Sept. 20.
I love the iPhone, but there was a time when I hated it.
Why the love/ hate relationship?
Because I was not “using” it.
Instead, I was being USED by the iPhone.
I love the iPhone because all the cool functions and apps (e.g., the camera, email access, Spotify, iTunes) make my life more convenient and increase my productivity.
However, I used to hate my iPhone when I was slave to every incoming text, email alert, Facebook notification, push notifications, etc.
This makes me ask you the following important question?
Are you a Master or a Slave to your phone?
What It Means to Be a Slave to Your Phone
You are the Master of your phone when you CHOOSE to use it and allow it to increase your productivity.
You become a slave to your phone when you can’t resist the urge to look at every alert.
One of my Advanced Diamond Mastermind members is a good example. It was no surprise to me that she has been unable to maximize her potential and explode her business because of her weaknesses in time management.
Sadly, the MAIN culprit in her poor time management was her phone.
She was addicted, and, to me, that was an appropriate term because she had to see every incoming message and alert that arrived, even if it meant disrupting what she was doing.
After listening to my advice, she took the first step and set her phone to vibrate instead of a sound alert.
But still, she could not just put the phone away!
Can you believe that?!
She simply could NOT turn off the phone and put it away!
The best she could do was to put it on vibrate.
Does that tell you something?!
It shows how she was a slave to her phone.
It was a ball and chain around her. She couldn’t let it go!
But to her credit, at least she took the first step and has started to make a commitment to check it only a few times a day.
However, she still can’t let go of the fact that she “may miss something important” by putting it away or not even know about the latest “status update.”
The sad thing is that I’m sure she is NOT the only one. You may be just like her.
Could you put away and NOT touch your phone for more than one hour?
Facebook: Your Smartphone’s Main Partner in Enslaving You
Are you a slave to your phone?
Are you using your phone or letting your phone use you?
I’ve mentioned many times that things like Facebook are not free. They are Time Thieves that steal your time and life away.
Don’t get me wrong. Facebook has been a great tool for me, but please notice that I use the word “tool.”
It’s a tool because I choose to use it to my advantage so that I can achieve my objectives in life.
I’m not a slave to Facebook. I don’t have to check it more than ten times a day.
By the way, have you ever counted the number of times you check Facebook?
If it is more than ten times a day, I recommend you look more deeply into your life and what your priorities are.
Is Facebook so important that you must check it that often?
Do you really need to know IMMEDIATELY what is happening in your friends’ lives?!
That’s called instant gratification, and we know that every time we cave into our short term desires, it never leads to anything good.
Solution to the Smartphone Madness so That You Become More Productive
Please note that I’m not suggesting that you should be a hermit and speak to no one.
You can and should still reply to messages, but one of the most important lessons that I teach in my time management course, Extreme MLM Productivity Regimen, is to set specific times or schedule breaks during the day to check your emails and messages.
Another one of the 30+ secrets that I share in my course is to always use a timer for every task you take. That applies to checking emails or Facebook as well.
For example, if you are going to check out Facebook, set a ten-minute time limit and once that timer goes off, you must make the commitment to log off until your next Facebook “break.”
Health Benefits to Freedom from the Tyranny of Your Phone
It’s not just for productivity reasons that you should learn to resist the temptation to read every incoming status update or message.
There are compelling health reasons, too.
Whether it is western medicine or yoga philosophy, all the health experts agree that your brain needs rest.
We need to calm our thoughts and not let our minds go at 100 miles per hour all the time.
One of the reasons for my daily yoga practice is because it calms my mind. Just like how you workout better after giving your body rest, you become more creative and get more things done when you give your brain a break.
But your brain can’t take a break when it’s a slave to the phone.
You have no time for creative ideas when your brain is consumed with paying attention to the latest alerts, messages, and emails on your phone.
Swiss CEO Commits Suicide Due Stress from Smartphone
Even though he had achieved financial success, he had no peace in his life.
One of the things he constantly complained about before he took his life was how he could not turn off his smartphone. He had to read and check every incoming message.
In an interviewed prior to his suicide he said:
“Modern communications devices have their downside,” Mr. Schloter told Switzerland’s Schweiz am Sonntag in May. “The most dangerous thing is to fall into a mode of permanent activity and continuously consult one’s smartphone to see whether any new mails have come in. Everyone should switch off their mobile phone from time to time.”
Mr. Schloter was asked whether he could switch off his phone: “No, I must say that I find it increasingly difficult to calm down and to reduce tempo. Perhaps that has something to do with age.”
I’m sure he had other issues that caused him to take his life, but being enslaved to his smartphone definitely didn’t help his situation.
Take Back Control of Your Time and Your Life Today
Turn off the automatic alerts.
If you can turn off your phone for at least one hour a day and not have the feeling you are being “left out,” that’s when you know you are growing as a person.
I’m going to remind you of one last tip on how to become more successful than others.
One of the easiest ways to become more successful than others is to do the opposite of what everyone else is doing.
The philosophy is that if you do everything that everyone else does, then you will get their results.
If you want different results, then you must do things differently.
It’s interesting that we hear about social media all the time, but NONE of my mentors and friends that earn over $1 million USD a year are “very active” on Facebook.
At most, they check it once or twice a day. A few of them check it only a few times a week.
Just look around you now. Everyone is glued to their phones and Facebook.
But what are the really wealthy or happy people in the world doing?
That alone should motivate you to stop being a slave to your phone!
Sincerely,
Simon Chan
P.S. If you find yourself having trouble to find the time to focus on your home business, I highly recommend you learn and implement some of the 35 Time Management secrets that I teach in my Extreme MLM Productivity Regimen Time Management course. Click Here to learn how to create 2 more hours in your day so that you can build a successful business and still have time to have a life!
I agree. I am now in control of my phone.