Stop Having an Affair with Your Smartphone! (Or iPad!)

Sleeping with Devices

Do you sleep with your smartphone? (Or iPad?)

Is the last thing you do before bed to check email or your social networks?

Have you considered that you might be having an affair… with your phone?

Do You Love Your Phone Too Much?

When Steve Jobs was inspiring the team that created the iPhone, he told them to, “create a device that people would love so much, they’d never leave the house without it.”

Well, it’s ironic how prophetic those words turned out to be.

I’ll bet you take your phone everywhere. To work, to play, to the bathroom, and yes, even to bed.

However, has your phone taken over your life?

Interrupting you? Dominating your attention? Basically, ruling your life?

“If you want work-life balance, stop having an affair with your smartphone.”

Do you rule your phone or does it rule you?

Are You Having an Affair With Your Smartphone?

Your phone is there for your convenience.

Don’t let it take over your life. Don’t let it run your life.

Don’t let it ruin the relationships with those that you truly care about.

Here are 5 Signs You May Be Having a an Affair With Your Smartphone:

  1. Taking Your Phone/iPad to Bed – When you get into bed, does your smartphone join you? Is it the last “person” that you talk to before going to bed?
  2. Checking Email Before Bed – Do you check email or Facebook before going to bed? And then again in the morning before getting up?
  3. Ignoring Your Family or Spouse – Does your family have to constantly compete for attention with your devices? Do they have to “snap you back to reality” when you are in another world with your phone?
  4. Answering Your Phone When You Are With Others – Do you answer your phone no matter where you are or what you are doing? (Hint: If you are answering your phone in the bathroom, you have lost control…)
  5. Letting Your Phone Interrupt Your Life – Do you prioritize phone beeps, dings, and chimes above people who you are meeting with in person?

Be Just Friends With Your Phone

Take back control of your relationship with your devices.

Your smartphone can be a good friend, just make sure you aren’t having an affair with it.

So, put that phone down before you get into bed.

Your stress levels will thank you. Your significant other will thank you.

And you might just sleep a little better.

Question: Do you sleep with your smartphone or iPad?

15 thoughts on “Stop Having an Affair with Your Smartphone! (Or iPad!)

  1. This post was from a tip I gave a recent speaking engagement. (Killer Tribes 2013)

    I was saying that if you want to sleep better at night… don’t check your email before bed.

    And then said, “Stop having an affair with your smartphone.” 🙂

  2. Im afraid this describes way too many people. The availability of information everywhere we go seems to be causing a blurring of boundaries. Great post!

  3. Haven’t ever slept with my phone. I don’t even usually have it in the same room because I get middle-of-the-night texts occasionally from the night owls in my family.

    I don’t do too bad with my phone but I have noticed that I really have to stay on top of the self-monitoring or it could get out of control.

  4. I saw a cartoon a friend shared on Facebook the other day that shows a man at a bar wearing one of those cones that keeps a dog from biting itself. He says to a lady standing next to him, “This keeps me from looking at my phone too much.”

    In all seriousness this is becoming a national epidemic. I see people in restaurants, at the park, driving down the freeway (yes, driving) – all looking at their phone whether they are with people or not. What is it about what’s on the other side of the screen that’s more interesting than the experience that’s happening where we are? I’m sure monks would have something good to say about this. Thanks for the post.

  5. What’s most hilarious here is the idea of having to friend zone your phone. And, yes, I sleep with my iPhone by my head. I justify this by telling myself I have to check scores from games outside of my time zone during the night.

  6. Nowadays, we all are using smartphones and it has become one of the most important components for us. It gives us a huge advantage with doing any kind of job over there and reduces our effort. We can even also purchase any kind of need from the online market.

  7. People are too much attached with their smartphones nowadays. Mostly because they are addicted to it. But it’s not their fault, smartphone is an amazing gadget. Too much attachment with your smartphone is actually a disease it’s called Nomophobia.

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