Oversimplify your life?

I've seen a number of stories lately about how a 20-something goes from being a hopeless cell phone and internet addict to well adjust productive person by cutting themselves off from cell phones, social networking sites, etc.

The stories all read the same. 'I was spending all my time on line or my phone. So now I don't have a cell phone, I don't check emails, and I'm so much happier!'. And I can't help but notice most of the people writing these stories are either unemployed or in low paying jobs that don't require them to be up to date on things.

I understand the idea. Simplify. But is it becoming cool to go full Luddite?

I think there's a fair bit of room to claw back without becoming full on Luddite and result in being far more efficient, focused, and employed.

At work for example, I push a desk. I get pop-up for every email. notification on my phone for personal email. messenger notification for facebook messages, text messages, etc. etc. etc. it's easy to distract myself by immediately checking every one, regardless of what I'm doing.

Realistically I could arrive to work in the morning and put my phone away. Check my emails once in the morning, reply as needed... and then don't check them again until at least lunch. 95% of emails don't NEED a reply instantaneously, and if they do, they can call me.

If anything, the constant checking, forums browsing, email reading, news reading, phone checking, etc. becomes a circular pattern, very little of which is productive.

The problem is not the technology, it is the users. I always have my cellphone, but I don't always answer it. if I am busy, or talking to someone face to face, or on the can...it goes to voicemail. People actually get upset if you don't respond to their text in 30 seconds or less, so you have to train them that you are not a slave to your iPhone. In fact, my New Year's resolution was to stop arranging specific times for things. I now tell people that I will shoot to be there at around 6. That's the best I will commit to. Much less stress, makes me a safer, slower driver.

xflowgolf wrote: At work for example, I push a desk. I get pop-up for every email. notification on my phone for personal email. messenger notification for facebook messages, text messages, etc. etc. etc. it's easy to distract myself by immediately checking every one, regardless of what I'm doing. Realistically I could arrive to work in the morning and put my phone away. Check my emails once in the morning, reply as needed... and then don't check them again until at least lunch. 95% of emails don't NEED a reply instantaneously, and if they do, they can call me. If anything, the constant checking, forums browsing, email reading, news reading, phone checking, etc. becomes a circular pattern, very little of which is productive.

+1

I have nothing to add to that other than I'd love to save $100 a month and ditch the goddamn "smart" phone altogether. Unfortunately, it is a job requirement. It does NOTHING for me except make me accessible ALL the time.

Mine is a requirement too.. otherwise I would be tied to the house every thursday until the work calls all went out.

And I agree.. I know people who get upset if you do not immediatly return their text... I shut one up when I told her I was 50 feet in the air, hanging upside down from some truss, aiming lights.

I too have had a phone since the early 80's. It looked like one of those giant walkie-talkies you see in the old WW2 movies. I used it because I had to. Now Mrs. Mini and I have so called smart phones, we use to stay in touch -we both travel extensively for work and it made more sense, (and cents) than keeping a land line. She stays in touch with Jr. Mini and her girlies via texting. To me, a phone is an instrument talk with. I don't want or need it to text, play games, search the interweb, or play music. I've even had to run a guy off a job I was running, because instead of working, he was always playing with his phone or disappearing to make a call, after being warned several times. Before work, at lunch and after work, I don't care if the thing is glued to your head. During working hours, there isn't any reason to have it. If an emergency arises, they can call my office and I can have the guy call them back. Anything else is just plain wrong. Yeah, I'm a dick and a dinosaur, but I'm not paying to have someone play with their toy on my time.

I'm not smart enough for a smart phone. Yet I still find lots of time to waste.

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote:

xflowgolf wrote: ... etc. etc. etc. it's easy to distract myself by immediately checking every one, regardless of what I'm doing. If anything, the constant checking, forums browsing, email reading, news reading, phone checking, etc. becomes a circular pattern, very little of which is productive.

I have nothing to add to that other than I'd love to save $100 a month and ditch the goddamn "smart" phone altogether. Unfortunately, it is a job requirement. It does NOTHING for me except make me accessible ALL the time.

I love my smartphone and depend on it heavily. It's not a leash or a vulnerability to me because it is for MY convenience, not others. I answer only when it is polite or convenient to do so (unless it is an immediate family member). Same with email - I refuse to get that via my phone, and I won't Facebook on my phone either. Forget Twitter or any of those. I only deal with things that I have to go get on my phone at my convenience, not things that pester me to pay attention to them.

That being said, having a desk job and being on a computer all day makes it very hard to stay on task, as witnessed by the time stamps on many of my posts here.

as I have said to people... "yes I am important enough to have a smart phone.. but I am so important that I also have voicemail"

pinchvalve wrote: The problem is not the technology, it is the users. I always have my cellphone, but I don't always answer it. if I am busy, or talking to someone face to face, or on the can...it goes to voicemail. People actually get upset if you don't respond to their text in 30 seconds or less, so you have to train them that you are not a slave to your iPhone. In fact, my New Year's resolution was to stop arranging specific times for things. I now tell people that I will shoot to be there at around 6. That's the best I will commit to. Much less stress, makes me a safer, slower driver.

This is pretty much my stance to. The problem isn't the phone, it's the person who can't put it down. Luckily my friends and family are not the, "omg you didn't reply right away whats wrong?" types.

I have a smartphone. It isn't a work requirement but I don't see myself getting rid of anytime soon. I have a facebok app that doesn't update unless I open it, I don't get email alerts, and I don't use it when I shouldn't. For me it's very convenient to be able to look up addresses, get directions, etc.

It allows me to be more productive at my day job, because I do more away from the office, and also for my side business. I'm closer to my family, even when I'm not. And it also allows me to do this while I'm doing other things and/or waiting for whatever.

Yes, the bill sucks, but in my case it's a business expense too.

I also have no desire to be a Luddite, though I certainly don't want/need the cutting-edge latest-greatest tech either.

Drewsifer wrote: I understand the idea. Simplify. But is it becoming cool to go full Luddite?

we're coming full circle.

we just recently switched to microsoft exchange email at work, and as such i can't check it on my personal iphone now, and i've been really suprised how little i've really felt the need to pull out the laptop and check it since it's not on my phone.

Drewsifer wrote:

pinchvalve wrote: The problem is not the technology, it is the users. I always have my cellphone, but I don't always answer it. if I am busy, or talking to someone face to face, or on the can...it goes to voicemail. People actually get upset if you don't respond to their text in 30 seconds or less, so you have to train them that you are not a slave to your iPhone. In fact, my New Year's resolution was to stop arranging specific times for things. I now tell people that I will shoot to be there at around 6. That's the best I will commit to. Much less stress, makes me a safer, slower driver.

This is pretty much my stance to. The problem isn't the phone, it's the person who can't put it down. Luckily my friends and family are not the, "omg you didn't reply right away whats wrong?" types. I have a smartphone. It isn't a work requirement but I don't see myself getting rid of anytime soon. I have a facebok app that doesn't update unless I open it, I don't get email alerts, and I don't use it when I shouldn't. For me it's very convenient to be able to look up addresses, get directions, etc.

c'mon now, we all know that it is always someone/something else's fault. It is never the fault of the person or user.

Last semester I deactivated my Facebook account and happened to break my smartphone. I then found myself with a LOT of spare time.

Tonight I will:

1. Disable my smartphones wifi (no data plan anyway)
2. Deactivate Facebook again
3. Cancel my Netflix subscription

Actually, I'll do it right now

I have to have the cell, for family medical reasons. It helps that I don't give it to anyone, either. :) It's a dumbphone, too. I could send a text on it, but don't.

I have a sorta dumbphone. I do not need a smartphone. I do have a brother who is on is iPhone and iPad all the time, but it's not work related (at least most of what I see isn't). I hear all this about 'multitasking', that's bullE36 M3. If someone is 'multitasking' it means they are doing more than one thing and neither to the best of their ability. All you have to do to see this is see someone trying to talk on the phone in the checkout line somewhere.

What frosts my ass the most is walking through a shop and seeing guys working on a car and with the other hand either texting (usually it's a GF who demands an inordinate amount of attention) occasionally taking to someone or playing a game. THAT is ridiculous and is unfortunately the rule, not the exception. One of these days someone will get either badly hurt in the shop or even worse a customer will drive out in a car that wasn't properly repaired and then there will be a REAL problem.

Moderation in all things, Grasshopper.

My phone is smart (iphone 4), but oddly enough, staying in contact with people is probably the least of what I use it for. Its a great GPS, streams music @ my desk (which cuts down on distractions), runkeeper logs my mountain bike rides/runs/hikes/whatever, fuelly to log my gas usage, Harrys Lap Timer for Autox Data Acquisition, etc.

I could give it all up pretty easily, but the GPS/maps is so damn handy I'm not sure I want to. I still have texting blocked and my plan is ~$50 a month after taxes.

I have a cellphone instead of a landline, txt is only a few a week. I refuse to facebook, twitter, etc. Use the internet as a tool, not an entertainment center. Get on, find what you need and get off. (insert dirty joke here. I check my e-mail once every few days unless in the middle of an "exchange" about something. Not saying I strictly follow these rules, but you get the idea. Now I need to do something about my video game "problem"

I am rocking an iPhone and I love it for keeping up with soccer news and scores and getting emails.

it's funny.. here in the casinos, cell phones while working are strictly verbotten... unless you work in entertainment. Because they know we use them to keep in touch with each other. We are a small department and are usually spread throughout the building.

Until about 8 months ago, I didn't have a cell phone, or internet access at the house. Now I have an iPhone and internet. They have made life more efficient and entertaining. If we're doing "family stuff" I stick the phone on the charger and forget about it.

I will admit, I have been embarressed to be "that guy" in the grocery store, who's walking down the aisle, thumbs blazing, but hey, it's a convenient way to say "Do we need milk?" without having to play telephone tag.

Having been the guy who was annoyed by annoying phone users over the years, I try not to be that guy. Doesn't mean I can't use one at all though.

I still refuse to do Facebook or Twitter.

poop, I cannot believe you have an iPhone. The O has a BlackBerry, whatever would he say?

poopshovel wrote: I still refuse to do Facebook or Twitter.

Even if they were hot? ...or twins?

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote:

poopshovel wrote: I still refuse to do Facebook or Twitter.

Even if they were hot? ...or twins?

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