6 Bold Reasons Why Connectivity is NOT Productivity

Last month, the unthinkable happened. In my haste to catch my early morning flight, I forgot my cell phone at home. My phone is my tether to everything – family life, office work, meetings, CrossFit sessions, and ordering Reisens. As I started to board my flight, it was clear there were no other options – I had to get on my flight without it.

I rely on my phone for almost every aspect of my life, despite knowing its drawbacks. According to research, that the more I use it, the dumber I get. Smartphones impair our ability to remember, think creatively, or do deep analysis. They’re addictive and make us anxious. Regardless, I find myself constantly checking for new alerts within minutes. I can’t seem to quit my phone.

I’m not alone. Here are some smartphone facts by the numbers:

• 2 billion people in the world own smartphones.
• ¾ of Canadians own smartphones.
• The average North American uses a smartphone 3-5 hours per day.
• A person typically spends 7 years of their life immersed in a smartphone.
• There’s a 25% chance that a smartphone is involved in a car crash.

In this attention economy, whatever gets our attention, even for a moment, wins. While we used to wear our “multitasker” badge with honour, now we use it as an excuse to flit between app like magpies, never getting one particular thing accomplished. My wife, a psychologist and very smart person, often tells me that when it comes to cognitive function, we “use it or lose it” as we age and “what wires together, fires together.” Smartphones make matters worse by making it too easy for our brains to get quick stimulation instead of solving problems or digging deeper into issues.

So, as I sat down in the plane without my trusty companion, I decided to use it an opportunity to wean myself off my phone for at least a few days. Here’s what I learned: