Disconnecting Myself

Going into this weekend I was well aware that I would not be able to last without using my phone or computer. The assignment was to start at 5pm on Friday, and I basically lasted until 7pm because it has been planned for over a month that I would take my two nephews trick or treating on Halloween and I needed a way that I could meet up with my brother in the town that they lived in. Even though I had to use my phone almost instantly after the assignment began to make connections with my family, I still spent the entire weekend trying not to use it as much as I would normally. This included not surfing around on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. I very much limited my activity on Snapchat. I think this is was the most difficult for me (Snapchat) because it is the way I communicate the most with my friends, and especially with it being Halloween weekend, so many people were snapping funny and cool pictures of costumes and what not. On Saturday, I used schoolwork as a distraction to try and stay off of my phone. I did some homework for other classes during the day and even started an end-of-the-semester paper due in December that I normally wouldn't have if I wasn't trying to stay off of my phone/computer. I'm not going to lie though, I definitely used my phone during the nights Friday and Saturday to meet up with friends and people that were all out and about downtown for Halloween/Freakfest. Yet, overall, I am pretty proud of myself for how much I limited my phone usage. This assignment really did make me realize how dependent I am on technology and my phone to carry out everyday functions. It's interesting to think about how often I use my phone for things without really realizing it. Trying not to use my phone, I think the thing that bothered me the most was how often I was searching for the time of day. Not using my phone, I had to find clocks in houses on the microwave or stove tops rather than just reaching in my pocket and knowing instantly. I also realized that not many college student houses don't have a regular clock anywhere, which I never thought about before, which I found pretty comical. Overall, I am not afraid to say I am a dependent on my phone, but I do think it's a good idea to stand back and be aware of your usage and how dependent you actually are.