18 Places you should put your phone away...!!!

Smartphones are everywhere.

Even if you don’t have one, I bet you can list a ton of people who own one. Heck, you can probably see a ton of people right now that have one out.

These amazing little handheld computers can do amazing things. I can text my wife, video chat with an old friend, check email, update my blog, search the web, and take pictures, all while the phone is giving me step-by-step directions to a destination and counting my steps, just to name a few things. And I can do all that with a device that fits in my pocket! Modern technology is truly a miracle and a wonder.

But Today, I am writing this article to help the global community. And this thought to reach out to my connections worldwide came to my mind when I realized that my 2 years daughter is watching YouTube more than me everyday!!!

I’m not suggesting that smartphones are evil or should be banned. I acknowledge the luxury as well as the immense usefulness of phones.

It’s time to stop living in 15 square inches of glass and metal.

But in an effort to make this change, we can’t just say, “Put your phone away.” We need specific steps to help us change our habits. So I’ve put together this list of obvious places that we should keep our phones turned off or put away (or both):

Think you can multi-task while driving and it won’t affect your risk of having a car accident? Think again. Brain researchers say it’s a terrible idea, even with a hands-free device. But just how terrible? Researchers say it’s akin to driving while legally drunk. That’s because distracted driving impacts and impairs one’s visual perception, in particular, peripheral sight.

It all goes back to science. We take for granted how much brain power driving requires. When we get behind the wheel we are faced with processing a significant amount of visual information, predicting the actions of other drivers and physical maneuvering. And that’s just during normal or optimal driving conditions. Add bad weather to the mix and we are forced to become even more nimble.

That text or phone call can wait. Think about your kids and loved ones!!!!!!!

The dinner table isn't the place for your cell phone. If you are dining, whether it's at home, at a friend's home, or at a restaurant, you should definitely silence your cell phone. Answering and holding a conversation during dinner or at the dining table is considered rude behavior.

Simply having your smartphone with you at the dinner table can cause you to feel bored and disconnected from the people you're sharing your precious time. Enjoy the drinks and food and cherish the best moments with people around.

Ron Cutler told Metro: "Phones heat up a little bit, giving bacteria a nice, warm environment." If you want to reduce the amount of bacteria likely to end up on your phone's screen, do not use it while on the toilet or bathroom. In fact, keep it as far away from the toilet or bathroom as possible. (Even the flush can spread germs.)

There are lots of reasons to keep your phone out of the bathroom, but protecting your phone from germs or potential falls into the toilet are secondary—though, yes, stop putting your phone in your back pocket, that’s dangerous.

But the real reason to leave your phone out of the bathroom is mindfulness.

Smartphones are designed to feed you information. Even if you are comfortable under the blanket, your brain will keep racing to absorb information and your emotions will be stimulated by the content you see online.

Smart phones and online applications are designed to keep us connected and elicit immediate responses.

The blue light from your smartphone screen is physically harmful for both your eyes and your brain.

Scrolling through social media will expose you to various kinds of emotions, ones that you might not be ready to handle.

If that is not possible, you can at least turn off your notifications before going to sleep to minimize distractions and help you snooze faster.

Yes, when the lights go down, put your phone away. You have the other 22 hours of the day to play with your phone, don't do it in a dark movie theater.

Get yourself entertained completely.

You can only learn from the show, once you are into it 100 and deep diving the theme in full state of mind.

There has to be a fixed time of the day when the full family sits together and interacts, playing board games, enjoying a storytelling session, drawing, heading to a nearby park, etc. It gives children a sense of belonging.

Sociologists suggest that we are and will continue to experience a Global Loneliness Epidemic. “By 2030, depression will be the single biggest cause of disease worldwide,” says the World Health Organisation.

We all need to remember that human beings are designed to bond and interact with other humans; we are social animals. The first human contact a child has is with their parents. Your child needs attention. For parents to be able to inculcate the right values and help children deal with what life has in store for them, they need to spend quality time. 

Do you feel neglected when your partner is on their phone? Does your time together get disrupted by texts, emails, or games? Has technology intruded on your romantic relationship?

Moms on cellphones have children who are more negative and less resilient.

Children feel unimportant, and have to compete with smartphones for parents’ attention.

Distracted parental attention harms children’s social/emotional development.

Cellphone use interferes with healthy parenting.

Kids feel sad, mad, angry, and lonely when parents use cellphones.

While the big 3 disputes for couples' arguments used to be sex, money, and kids, it seems smartphones are rapidly rising up that list. 

When you are with your parents and you are constantly checking, scrolling, texting, or engaged with the cell phone in your hand, it can feel like you are not really fully with your beloved parents. "When you have a conversation, it sends a clear message that you are playing second fiddle," says Dr. Roberts. Not only is this behavior rude, but it can damage the quality of that relationship.

"Relationships are the cornerstone of our happiness," says Dr. Roberts. "Phubbing makes us feel bad, but even worse, it leads to unhappiness and depression."

There's even an evolutionary explanation for why we feel so uncomfortable when we're with someone who's not fully there with us in that moment.

A large majority of American readers (80%) plan to put away their cell phones to focus on reading this summer, according to an independent survey of 1,500 reading adults commissioned by Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the world’s largest retail bookseller. Of those expressing the desire to make reading a priority, many have vowed not to look at their phones for between 30 minutes and two hours during each reading session.

The survey, conducted in early May by the market research company Atomik Research, also showed nearly 90% of parents with children between six- and 17-years old plan to ask their youngsters not to use electronic devices like cell phones and video games during certain periods of time during the summer. Of those, 44% said they want their kids to be device-free for more than three hours; 21% would be happy if their kids were off phones and videos for one-to-two hours a day.

One new study, published in the journal Performance Enhancement & Health, found that texting during exercise impacted balance and stability by 45%, compared to not using a phone. Talking on the phone made balance 19% worse—less than texting, but still significant enough to contribute to injuries, say the authors.

“It could lead to you possibly falling off the treadmill, or if you’re walking outside, falling off a curb and rolling your ankle or tearing your ACL,” says Michael Rebold, lead author on both studies and assistant professor of integrative exercise science at Hiram College.

Another study, published in Computers in Human Behavior last year, found that people who texted during a 20-minute workout spent almost 10 of those minutes in a low-intensity zone, and only seven minutes in high intensity. Those who worked out without a phone spent only 3 minutes in low intensity, and almost 13 minutes in high intensity.

Cycling, like all vehicular transport, comes with its own set of risks, and although you may not think you’re travelling particularly fast, you don’t have as much protection as you would in a car.

That’s not to say you can’t do yourself some damage rolling along at 15mph.

It’s the final moments before takeoff, and you’re settling into your seat and swiping across the seatback screen to figure out which movie to watch. You might notice your seatmate is swiping, too - through their text messages on their cell phone, which they clearly haven’t put into airplane mode yet. Cue the spike of fear. Is this inconsiderate person going to mess with the plane signals and kill us all?

It can be scary to witness a passenger break the rules on a plane, because flying is all about rules and safety. But these days, when just about every person has a smartphone in their pocket and many are expected to answer work emails at all hours, it’s super tempting to push the limits on airplane mode. 

Anyone can benefit from spending time in the garden - whether they're mowing the lawn, digging over the vegetable patch or sitting down and admiring the view.

Loads of different muscle groups are activated when you work in the garden – whether it’s your arms and shoulders when digging, your legs when pushing a lawnmower or your fingers and wrists when planting and weeding. Carrying bags of compost or full watering cans is akin to lifting weights at the gym.

You will automatically forget your worries and irritations because gardening becomes all-consuming. A good tip: leave the phone in the house and turned to silent.

Phones are Disruptive Many hospital floors are filled with sensitive electronic monitors and devices. Cell phone signals can compete with the beeps and transmission of data from these devices, making it hard for hospital staff members to do their jobs. Chatting on the phone can also be annoying to your roommate or to others on the hospital floor.

Phones Get Lost and Stolen. It’s a major hassle to lose your phone and all the contacts, pictures, messages and other contents stored in it because someone either innocently or not-so-innocently picked it up.

Zoo is the place where you bring your children to enjoy seeing wild animals, birds and real beauty of nature which is generally not available around us. Using phones while roaming in the zoo always eat out precious time to be with these living wonders!

Your kids are required to be explained all the features, unique characteristics of different type of animals and birds. Hence, be with them with full of mindfulness and enjoy the nature without getting disturbed by your phones.

Many people tend to keep their phones on the table during meetings over coffee, but this may turn into a distraction if it accidentally rings, buzzes or lights up.

Turn off or silence your device, then put it away where it is no longer visible, such as in a purse, briefcase or jacket pocket.

You may want to bring paper and pen to take notes and avoid the distraction of technology. However, if you need to refer to information on your laptop, be sure to see if it's appropriate to bring it along.

To keep your phone at hand during a meeting is disrespectful and distracting. It takes you out of the moment, unable to fully participate in the work at hand.

It also sends a terrible message to everyone else at the meeting: You don't value them; your phone comes first.

New hires especially should keep their cell phones stashed away during business meetings, a new study strongly implies.

Keep your phones/tablets switched off or on airplane mode during important meetings or discussions. An hour away from Social media or texting.

‘Why are we travelling?’

If you are travelling for yourself, then there is no requirement to upload the photographs instantly on social media. Consider the vacation for soul relaxation. Try to put your electronic gadgets like mobile phones and tablets away for a while.

Make the most of your vacation by keeping your phones aside and indulging in the moment.

I have adopted almost all the above habits during my various endeavors of life and believe me I have benefitted a lot as it restricts our distractions, give us inner joy to fully enjoy things happening around and also help us being in the current moment.

I hope this article would help you bring new habits in your life to achieve Growth with Sustainability.

Nitin Dumasia,

President & CEO at Growlity, Inc.

You can reach out to him on [email protected] and or on his direct line at +1 718 690 9291.