Just because the phone rings, pings or bongs doesn't mean you need to answer it.

How many times today have you answered the phone when you were in the middle of something?

in other words how many times did you allow a piece of noisy plastic to interrupt you?

In the last decade we have not only redesigned the phone but we have changed the rules associated with phone use. Or have we.

For most of us the phone, not us, is in control.

It interrupts us and we respond. It decides when we need to stop doing what we were doing and what we should do next. It decides that the person on the other end of it is more important than the person sitting next to us when we are out for dinner. It decides that the customer in the queue takes second place to the one on the phone. It decides that doing a puzzle with your child can happen while you chat with someone else, that their time is less important.

Is that really what we want from a noisy piece of plastic? For the sake of our sanity, our ability to finish a task, our relationships and our parenting it is time to wrench back control, to challenge our addiction.

So the next time the phone beeps, brace yourself, take control and leave it alone.

Comments

The here and now, living in it

I am currently reading a book about presence... being present in the here and now and transcending our physical being into our spiritual being through retreats and other such malarky! What a waste of paper, I feel guilty about the tree which created this book! Unfortunately (or fortunately) most of us cannot afford the time and or cash to head out on a month long retreat to find our inner selves and to be honest the experience may fill our souls with wonder but it is short lived when we return to our here and now and our general lives. It is more important to find 'presence' in our existing lives, our realities rather than head off into the ether to discover it. If you suffer from living in the future, constantly striving, making no time for yourself in the now, please consider the following time effective but real ways to wake up to the now. Sit for 2 mins and focus on your breathing or your heart rate- nothing else- and if thoughts come into your head tell them yo...

What 10 things do you do well?

We are generally very good at knowing what we need to do better but very very bad at being able to say we do something well. "I should do more exercise." "I could communicate more." "I need to get better at time management." "I should work on my presentation skills." "I need/ should (add your own in here!!!) It is time to put a different perspective on it. After all you didn't get to the ripe old age of (add here whatever age you feel like being), without managing to do some things well, the tricky part is being able to articulate what they are. So grab that coffee, find somewhere quiet and write down/think of 10 things you do well, just 10. Oh and fight the temptation to be glib, so 'I am good at being on facebook' doesn't count, but 'I am good at keeping in touch with people' does! The reality is that remembering and stating what we are good at is much harder than it sounds. We spend most of our time in the ...

A well worn path

My challenge for the here and now is to take note of 3 things as you go about your day to day activities. Things you see everyday but pay no attention to: a beautiful set of stairs travelled up and down by generations of people all set about their own day to day; a century old tree who has cast shade on your route for decades; or a children's book which sits on the bookcase now collecting dust and when you notice them think about the value they give/ have given to you. It is incredible to think that in each day we follow the same path, be that on foot, in the car or through habit but often fail to appreciate the very things that make the path smoother. For those of you who like an even greater challenge pick a significant person and notice some of the 'overlooked' traits they possess, think about how those traits positively impact on your journey and if you are feeling really brave you could even tell them. Go on, it won't hurt that much.

From Clutter to Clarity

Search This Blog