Earlier this summer, my son Asher and I were visiting my family in Washington D.C for a few weeks. One of the things we love to do when we’re there is to visit the Smithsonian museums. They are all free and there is so much to see and do with exhibits constantly changing.
It wasn’t until we were settled in on the metro heading into the city that I realized I had forgotten my phone. At first, I was panic stricken. I kept thinking the worst. Had I lost my phone? Had it slipped out of my bag? What if there is an emergency? How will I call for help? Do they even have pay phones any more? If so, how much do they cost?
At this point, there was no turning back. We were well on our way and I decided there was a day of adventure ahead of us, phone or no phone. Once I came to this conclusion, a sense of calm came over me.
What’s the worst thing that will happen I kept asking myself? The answer that kept coming up was that people won’t be able to get a hold of me. People won’t be able to get a hold of me. I finally realized, this will be great to have a day alone with Asher with no distractions where he will have my full attention.
Even though I knew I didn’t have my phone, I unconsciously kept checking it every twenty minutes at first. It was a very unconscious habit. We would see something we wanted to take a photo of then realize we had no phone. We giggled and laughed and then began taking photos with our pretend phone. By the end of the day I was not missing my phone at all.
I realized that I need to schedule more phone free time into my schedule, especially with Asher. And into my work days, too! I know this will give my brain a break and help me to be more productive by setting aside several hours here and there where I’m not distracted.
If you’d like to work on turning your phone off, being more present and getting more done, I’d love to help.