It was really annoying…
Whenever I get a new phone I always spend money on a hard wearing case. This last contracted phone was no different. In fact when I took my phone out of its Otterbox case it looked as good as new. I took it out to check if a Three SIM card would work as I wanted to upgrade to a SIM only deal that I had seen online. I was in the middle of sorting things out, when my wife asked me to empty the kids paddling pool. So I put the uncased phone in the breast pocket of my shirt, walked into the garden, leant over the pool to begin emptying and….Plop!
I hadn't taken the phone out of its case in months and now just before my contract expired my phone, which was in pristine condition suffers death by drowning. (Yes I did put it in rice but it didn't help!).
I now faced the week ahead without my phone and number. I do have a DATA phone which I use for work, so I used WhatsApp for phone calls. The issue was I didn't have many contacts on that device so I was a little stuck.
Many of us have had experiences like this and it can be very frustrating. I used this mishap as a little experiment. I contemplated the pros and cons of not having my regular Samsung Galaxy and my number as the days went by and wrote a short list.
Here it is, what do you think you would find to be a benefit or deficit?
The list:
1) Couldn't access my work or personal contacts
2) Couldn't check my WhatsApp both work and personal
3) Couldn't check the news or sport as easily, I'd have to check on my iPad/laptop
4) Less distracted
5) When I was chilling I couldn't look at my phone
6) Couldn't access my music or files unless I was at my iPad/laptop
I don't know about you but all my cons were mostly work related, purely because of the way that work is so dependent on technology.
The pros however, were that I found myself more ‘with’ people when I was ‘with’ them. Certainly I was less distracted at home when with my family. I also found myself being more aware of the way other people were using their phone and how little attention they gave to me. I started to feel a little for my kids. Of course this is something that I understood before but now I appreciated it more deeply.
It is truly ridiculous how much attention we give our phones and how little we give others.
If you've not seen this short video I recommend it, it's really powerful.
It’s called Look up.
As we approach the holiday season, when the paddling pool may come out, leave your phone inside or switch it off and give your family the attention they deserve, I can guarantee you'll feel amazing too.
Put your phone to good use by downloading Ji Tap for your child and enhance their Jewish education today!
