Outsmarting Your Smartphone

In June 2018, Apple did the unthinkable. They warned everyone regarding an upcoming feature. iPhones were about to release a feature called Screen Time. This new addition would inform you regarding how much time you spent weekly on your phone.

Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook referenced his beta using of Screen Time and stated, “I’ve been using it and I have to tell you: I thought I was fairly disciplined about this. And I was wrong…When I began to get the data, I found I was spending a lot more time than I should…And the number of times I picked up the phone were too many.”

You mean to tell me that the guy in charge of designing these phones is actually saying he is using it too much. What does that mean for us? It might mean that you feel frustrated at trying to go the second mile in areas of your life because you don’t have the time. Maybe you don’t have the time because it is being spent on your phone. Is your smartphone hindering your development? It’s time to go the second mile regarding our smartphones.

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The Reality

The iPhone recently celebrated its 10th birthday. Let’s just imagine that your usage was on the lower end of what some of the reports are giving us. Let’s say that you are on your phone “only” 90 minutes a day. You know what that would equal to over the last 10 years?

  • 328,500 minutes
  • 5,475 hours
  • 228 days (62% of 1 year)

Over the last 10 years, you would have spent 228 days with your eyes on a smartphone. And those are days you can never get back.

Your smartphone is amoral. It is neither moral or immoral. It is the manner for which we use it that determines its moral worth. But the material that we view and the manner in how we view it is a moral issue.

It’s all about time.

Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is [Eph. 5:15-17].

Are you missing out on opportunities to travel the 2nd mile because your gaze is on your smartphone?

The Robbing

Of what is your smartphone robbing you? Here is a list to consider:

  1. We lose time to spend with God.
  2. We miss opportunities to engage with our loved ones.
  3. We settle for pseudo-community.
  4. We are training ourselves for constant distractions.
  5. We become addicted to social media affirmation.
  6. We are bombarded with too much information.
  7. We reduce our chance of going deep in anything.

The Reversal

  1. Set a goal for the time you will spend on your smartphone.
  2. Plug up your phone once you get home.
  3. Resist the urge to check your phone while in conversation with others.
  4. Install apps for limiting your time on certain apps.
  5. Reduce the notifications that clamor for your attention.
  6. Resist the urge to engage in every social media platform.
  7. Outsmart your smartphone by making it help you focus on worthwhile pursuits.

GET THE 2ND MILE ON YOUR FAVORITE APP

You can listen to the 2nd Mile Podcast here or download it on your favorite app below.  Some of the main points are transcribed for you below as well.