A large percentage of Americans are Perpetually Partially Connected. Though it seems like we are connected to a greater extent, we are never fully engaging in one aspect of life. We look at our phone while we are eating dinner, we answer the phone in middle of any face to face conversation, we think about what people are “saying” as they comment on the status update and posts. PPC is a hard habit to break, but something we need to work on. I realize that much of what we can do through this world of constant communication is helpful in many ways, but here are some thoughts for keeping things balanced:
– Keep your ringer on vibrate as much as possible.
– Block off some no-phone / no-wireless times so that you are able to fully engage in the most important relationships in your life.
– While in the middle of a conversation, don’t answer or look at your phone. If it must be dealt with immediately, excuse yourself politely. This applies to those closest to you. Don’t assume that you can be rude just because it’s your child, spouse, or close friend.
– Set some times to social media–ize and during those blocks of time, engage fully in that form of communication. Write back, respond, care for people in your social media circles.
– Live life, then let the world know about later on. Don’t waste the great view, the funny story, the first time your kid does something, or potentially meaningful conversation by thinking about how you can word it on your status update or tweet. Worse, actually standing there fiddling with your phone doing it!
– What other ways can people balance this epidemic?