1 00:00:03,400 --> 00:00:06,680 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:09,280 --> 00:00:15,120 Speaker 1: Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. 3 00:00:16,239 --> 00:00:19,680 Speaker 1: Today's tip is about a small trip to make screen 4 00:00:19,720 --> 00:00:24,360 Speaker 1: time more mindful. By making it slightly harder to open 5 00:00:24,400 --> 00:00:27,840 Speaker 1: and log into your phone, you will probably stop yourself 6 00:00:28,280 --> 00:00:31,200 Speaker 1: a few more times than you might have, and that 7 00:00:31,680 --> 00:00:35,120 Speaker 1: can make it more possible to concentrate on everything else. 8 00:00:36,760 --> 00:00:40,320 Speaker 1: Today's tip, like another this week, comes from Amantha Ember's 9 00:00:40,320 --> 00:00:44,200 Speaker 1: new book time Wise. This book is all about smart 10 00:00:44,280 --> 00:00:47,400 Speaker 1: strategies to get more done while feeling better about it. 11 00:00:48,400 --> 00:00:52,600 Speaker 1: In the book, Amantha quotes entrepreneur Kevin Rose about how 12 00:00:52,680 --> 00:00:56,880 Speaker 1: to start picking up the phone less. Kevin Rose had 13 00:00:56,920 --> 00:00:59,760 Speaker 1: been feeling frustrated to find he was picking up his 14 00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:02,480 Speaker 1: own more than a hundred times a day, which is 15 00:01:02,520 --> 00:01:07,000 Speaker 1: not that unusual really, many people clock two pickups or more. 16 00:01:07,920 --> 00:01:11,360 Speaker 1: But he didn't like it, so he made one little tweak. 17 00:01:12,120 --> 00:01:16,040 Speaker 1: He put a rubber band around his phone. As he 18 00:01:16,120 --> 00:01:19,840 Speaker 1: told Amantha Ember, when you see that rubber band, it 19 00:01:19,959 --> 00:01:22,679 Speaker 1: just reminds you to pause for a second, and you 20 00:01:22,720 --> 00:01:25,560 Speaker 1: think to yourself, do I really need to pick up 21 00:01:25,560 --> 00:01:29,880 Speaker 1: and use my device right now? Oftentimes the answer is no. 22 00:01:31,400 --> 00:01:34,360 Speaker 1: I think he is onto something. A few years ago, 23 00:01:34,480 --> 00:01:37,200 Speaker 1: I cracked my phone pretty badly and it was a 24 00:01:37,200 --> 00:01:40,440 Speaker 1: little while before I could replace it. I wound up 25 00:01:40,440 --> 00:01:43,440 Speaker 1: putting my phone in a little plastic baggie so I 26 00:01:43,440 --> 00:01:46,400 Speaker 1: wouldn't lose the pieces of the glass. I could still 27 00:01:46,520 --> 00:01:48,880 Speaker 1: use it, but I had to open the baggy, and 28 00:01:48,880 --> 00:01:50,919 Speaker 1: then I had to be very careful that I didn't 29 00:01:51,000 --> 00:01:55,720 Speaker 1: slice my fingers. Needless to say, when checking my phone 30 00:01:55,800 --> 00:01:59,960 Speaker 1: required a lot of care, I became a lot more 31 00:02:00,040 --> 00:02:04,840 Speaker 1: careful about picking it up. It just wasn't worth it 32 00:02:05,360 --> 00:02:07,840 Speaker 1: to check social media for the third time in twenty 33 00:02:07,840 --> 00:02:11,960 Speaker 1: minutes because I was bored. A rubber band does something 34 00:02:12,080 --> 00:02:15,160 Speaker 1: very similar, albeit without the risk of cutting your finger. 35 00:02:16,240 --> 00:02:18,880 Speaker 1: If you put the band right across the phone, you 36 00:02:18,919 --> 00:02:21,000 Speaker 1: will probably have to pull it off in order to 37 00:02:21,080 --> 00:02:24,639 Speaker 1: log in, or even if the phone still registers your 38 00:02:24,680 --> 00:02:27,600 Speaker 1: face and logs you in without removing the rubber band, 39 00:02:28,240 --> 00:02:30,560 Speaker 1: you will still need to move the rubber band to 40 00:02:30,680 --> 00:02:36,079 Speaker 1: read anything, which makes the experience less immediately gratifying. The 41 00:02:36,160 --> 00:02:40,480 Speaker 1: rubber band doesn't stop you, It just slows you down, 42 00:02:41,560 --> 00:02:44,880 Speaker 1: and in that small space of time, you can ask 43 00:02:44,960 --> 00:02:47,200 Speaker 1: if this is actually what you mean to be doing 44 00:02:47,240 --> 00:02:50,520 Speaker 1: with your time, or if you'd like to be doing 45 00:02:50,560 --> 00:02:54,640 Speaker 1: something else. In Kevin Rose's case, he said that using 46 00:02:54,639 --> 00:02:57,320 Speaker 1: the rubber band reduced pickups from about a hundred a 47 00:02:57,400 --> 00:03:00,920 Speaker 1: day two more like thirty. That is a lot of 48 00:03:00,960 --> 00:03:04,840 Speaker 1: time freed up for other things. So if you are 49 00:03:04,880 --> 00:03:07,640 Speaker 1: feeling like you're picking up your phone more times than 50 00:03:07,680 --> 00:03:10,680 Speaker 1: you would like, do something to make it less convenient. 51 00:03:11,639 --> 00:03:14,600 Speaker 1: A rubber band works, or putting it in a baggy 52 00:03:14,800 --> 00:03:18,200 Speaker 1: or a zippered carrying case or anything along those lines. 53 00:03:19,160 --> 00:03:22,480 Speaker 1: You might even consider wearing a watch so you don't 54 00:03:22,520 --> 00:03:26,000 Speaker 1: need to look at your phone for the time. There 55 00:03:26,080 --> 00:03:30,440 Speaker 1: is absolutely nothing wrong with using a smartphone, but like 56 00:03:30,560 --> 00:03:35,880 Speaker 1: all things, it is best done mindfully. I would guess 57 00:03:35,920 --> 00:03:38,760 Speaker 1: that not all two pickups a day or so are 58 00:03:38,840 --> 00:03:43,680 Speaker 1: done with full intention. A rubber band or something similar 59 00:03:44,360 --> 00:03:47,920 Speaker 1: just ensure is a bit more mindfulness without a loss 60 00:03:47,920 --> 00:03:51,480 Speaker 1: of much time when you do really need to check 61 00:03:53,040 --> 00:03:57,880 Speaker 1: in the meantime. This is Laura, Thanks for listening, and 62 00:03:57,920 --> 00:04:08,240 Speaker 1: here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody, 63 00:04:08,440 --> 00:04:10,560 Speaker 1: I'd love to hear from you. You can send me 64 00:04:10,600 --> 00:04:14,240 Speaker 1: your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with 65 00:04:14,280 --> 00:04:18,680 Speaker 1: me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod 66 00:04:19,360 --> 00:04:23,680 Speaker 1: that's b E the number four, then Breakfast p o D. 67 00:04:24,560 --> 00:04:28,040 Speaker 1: You can also shoot me an email at before Breakfast podcast. 68 00:04:28,200 --> 00:04:31,040 Speaker 1: At i heeart media dot com that before Breakfast is 69 00:04:31,080 --> 00:04:33,800 Speaker 1: spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much, should 70 00:04:33,800 --> 00:04:41,880 Speaker 1: I look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is 71 00:04:41,880 --> 00:04:45,160 Speaker 1: a production of I heart Radio. For more podcasts from 72 00:04:45,160 --> 00:04:49,120 Speaker 1: my heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 73 00:04:49,400 --> 00:04:51,280 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.