Unexpected Gifts from Stolen Phone

Fifteen days without my phone, most of it in foreign countries, was eye-opening.

Literally.

Conflict doesn’t always happen with another person; it often happens with events or things.

Realizing my phone was gone, and after I secured and shut it down, I admit I cried a little bit. My mom back in the States is having some health challenges, and I had intended to continue keeping a pulse on my business—both required connectivity.

This unplanned phone detox has left me changed…in a good way. Ironically, my theme for this year is focus. This was a rich study of focus.

I let my focus down and lost the phone, but without the phone, I gained focus and presence.

Some of my learnings:

? When you are not looking down at your phone, life is happening all around you! I loved this! You also realize how many people around you constantly look down at their phones, and it seems really sad.

? One of my talks is about how change, conflict, and innovation are like three close cousins. You don’t have one without the other two. I am a problem solver, so this gave me a lot of opportunities to figure out alternative ways to communicate, which was fun.

? You can travel through customs without a smartphone.

? Focusing on the learning instead of the problem is energizing.

? People are very willing to help if you ask, from taking photos on their phones to giving you the time of day.

Because of this experience, I know I’ve moved much further down the path to increase focus! It took a while but I like this new more balanced relationship with my phone!

BTW, During this time, I’ve been reading Cal Newport’s book Deep Work. He offers excellent strategies. Many of which I am adopting! ?I recommend it.

Human Written

By Karen Valencic