Reading and Writing and Recreation

 A few weeks ago, I bought two books. At first glance, they may seem unrelated, but, in reality, there’s a connection. I’ve often caught myself wasting time on my phone when I could be spending that time, writing or engaging in any other more worthwhile pursuits.

Sometimes, it’s a procrastination technique. Not ready to write because I’m too tired, too unmotivated, or just want to finish one more game on my phone, I while away too much time on a device that is not my laptop, focused on screens that are not my work in progress.

Let me be honest. I don’t really want to break up with my phone – I just want to use it more thoughtfully, which is why I bought Catherine Price‘s book (left). So far (and I’m only a couple of chapters in), I haven’t read anything I didn’t already know but, in fairness, I’ve read quite a bit on this topic. I like that Price’s book is a mix of why and how and I look forward to learning more about both of those aspects.

As for Daily Creative, the title and description mesh well with something that’s been a goal of mine for several years now – developing a more frequent practice of creativity in general and expanding my concept of what creativity is. I always have high hopes for books like these and, so far, not many have lived up to my hopes, although they’ve been helpful from the perspective of expanding my perspective.

I’m still in the early pages of both of these books and I’m pretty sure that there will be some skimming going on because of the prior knowledge that I bring to these readings. Still, I’m hoping that both books will serve as refreshers on their respective topics as well as inspiring a few new ideas and practices.

It’s a process.

Friday Feature: Smart Phones and Dumb Interactions

The other day, my husband accused me of being on Facebook all the time. While that's not exactly accurate, he does have a valid point. In the evening hours and in the car when he's driving, I'm on Facebook a lot. Way too much, some might say. In fact, a lot of our conversations in the car begin with "Listen to this...." followed by something I've read on social media.

I don't have any trouble putting my phone away when I make up my mind to do so, but it does have a way of creeping out of my purse and into my hand when I'm between tasks. Honestly, if I were childless, it would be out a lot less often, but still, I can't completely blame my daughter for my bad habits. Back when I had a flip phone, I used it only for phone calls.

thetechjournal.com

And therein lies the problem. Back in the days of flip phones, I might have left my phone on the table during a meal with a friend if I wanted to make sure not to miss a call. And, since a call would have been the only thing to interrupt us, I wouldn't have been terribly distracted by the mere presence of the device. Now that I might miss a text, an email or the latest "news" on Facebook or Twitter, I'm quick to fill "down time" with a quick glance at my phone. Sadly, "down time" can consist of less than a minute between tasks.

But is leaving the phone (silenced) on the table such a bad thing? According to an article in Scientific American, "the mere presence of a phone affects how you relate to others." Yikes. I'm good at silencing my phone, and I rarely use notifications (definitely not for Facebook), but I must admit, I've grown increasingly careless about putting my phone away entirely.

Even if it is a cool trend, I certainly don't want to go back to using a one-purpose flip phone -- especially as a parent of a teenager whose first choice of communication is texting. I do, however, want to preserve manners and respect, so perhaps it's time to live by another old saw: out of sight, out of mind.

Challenging indeed.