How Healthy Is Your Relationship With Your Phone?

Your smartphone is a miracle. It allows you to answer any question and settle any heated barroom debate in seconds. It allows you to turn a tedious commute into productive working time. It is your gateway to hundreds of hours of awesome online content (much of it free) so that you need never be bored or lonely again. You can even make phone calls on it (as alien a notion as that may seem to many these days, especially our kids). Yet, while we’re constantly told that we should be vigilant when keeping tabs on our kids’ use of technology, we so often neglect our own relationships with our phones. And that can be a problem. Developing young minds aren’t the only ones that can be warped by spending too much time on their phones. In fact, even the oldest and wisest of us can find ourselves getting into bad habits where our phones are concerned. 

Here are some questions all Dads should ask themselves to ensure that they have a healthy relationship with their phones. 

Are you guilty of phubbing?

Phone snubbing or “phubbing” is something that we’re very keen to clamp down on when we catch our kids doing it. But when we catch ourselves falling into the same bad habit, we need to shut it down even faster. If our kids catch us engrossed in our phones at the dinner table or in another inappropriate context, they’ll see it as a tacit sign that it’s okay, no matter what you say out loud. And this can increase their dependence on their devices and impede social development. 

How long are you spending on your phone?

Be honest now. How much time do you spend on your phone every day? Less than 5 hours? 10 hours? 15 hours? Believe it or not, the amount of time we spend on our phones isn’t that dissimilar between baby boomers, gen x, millennials and gen z with each spending around 4-6 hours a day on their phones. Still, there are many who would say that more than one or two is too many. It’s certainly worth tracking how much time you spend on your phone from one week to the next.

Do your amusements become addictions?

Our smartphones are our gateway to a treasure trove of fun games. Whether you’re playing games just for the fun of it, reconnecting with childhood classics ported over from your mobile device or even trying to make a little money through online games and casinos- take a look at this LeoVegas casino review for an example, there are all kinds of ways in which we can wile away the hours with games. But we need to be vigilant. These amusements and distractions can become addictions if we’re not careful. We need to exercise restraint and self-discipline so that they don’t impact our productivity at home and at work. 

How are you sleeping?

Finally… like tablets, laptops and TVs, smartphones emit blue light which can disrupt the brain’s production of the sleep hormone melatonin which in turn can lead to insomnia. If you’re having trouble drifting off at night, it may be a sign that you’re spending too much time with your face in a screen!

Turn Commute Into Productive Time On Your Phone

The average American employee commute at least 25 minutes to work. However, more and more professionals are forced to commute over an hour to get to the office each day – and, of course, one hour back in the evening. If you’re driving, it’s a lot of full. Additionally, you need to stay focused on the road for long periods. 

However, if you’re commuting on the train, the bus or the tram, you may find yourself quietly dozing off each morning on your way to the office. If you’re lucky, you can get a seat, and you wait until you’ve reached your stop. It’s a lot of idle time in the day! While it’s not a bad thing, idle time can make your commute appear more tiresome than it actually is. Indeed, our addiction to digital technology has turned us into impatient users. We’re so used to click to get what we want that waiting for an hour or more without having anything to do can feel dull and draining in comparison. Can you turn your commute into something a little more exciting without moving out to live closer to the office? The answer is yes, and, believe it or not, all you need is your faithful smartphone device! Indeed, transforming the purposeless wait on the tram into productive time can change your perception of the daily commute. Are you ready to spice up your bus or train journey to work? Charge your phone and explore these different options: 

Relax on the go

Work is stressful. Most of us work in a hectic and fast-paced environment. It makes no doubt that the stress accumulated during your workday doesn’t disappear when you leave the office. One of the most effective stress relief remedies is to exercise regularly. Unfortunately, if you work long hours, hitting the gym after a long day at the office may not be a solution. However, you can use your commute time to de-stress. There are many entertainment options available on your phone. Don’t rush to your favorite social media platforms and instead try some video games. If you haven’t played games on your phone since the Snake games on the old Nokia, it’s time to explore what’s available in the App Store or Google Play Store, depending on whether you’re an iPhone or an Android owner. Games offer the perfect distraction from stress, and, because they demand your attention, they help your mind to move away from work-related thoughts. 

Win, big or little, as long as you win

Day after day, the same routine; it makes no doubt that the office life can be draining. For many employees, each day ends up looking just like the others. There’s no other way to put it; the routine makes everything dull. Your days have lost their excitement, and somehow you wish you could call on sick and forget about work. But you can’t, and every morning you’re heading back to the office for another day of dullness. More often than not, changing jobs isn’t going to help. Indeed, when you struggle with mental fatigue, it’s tricky to get enthusiastic about finding another office to sit in. However, you can bring some excitement to your daily commute with hot spins games. Indeed, you could set a reasonable and safe budget to play every week – for instance, you can save your lunch money by preparing your meals, and repurpose it for a few spins. The prospect of potentially winning can inject some much-needed enthusiasm into the routine. 

Keep in touch with your clients 

With a solid network of contacts, you can do almost anything. Platforms such as LinkedIn are hugely useful to make connections and build a list of professional contacts. Unfortunately, you need to invest a lot of time into the platform to gain any benefit from it. Being on LinkedIn isn’t enough to land you the next best job or to grab a client’s attention. You need to be active on LinkedIn to grow your network. So why not use your commute time to create a memorable and productive profile? Start by personalizing your connection requests. You can’t just hit the ‘connect’ button and hope for the best. Instead, visit the person’s profile and use the ‘connect’ button there as it lets you write a small note. Similarly, following up face-to-face meetings on LinkedIn, such as trade show business card exchanges or even your yoga instructor can make a great deal of difference. 

Take a course 

Who doesn’t want to boost their professional skills? However, when you can’t juggle going back to school with work, you need to find smart alternatives. Thankfully, there are plenty of mobile apps that let you learn new skills every day, directly from your smartphone. Udemy is a favorite as you can find almost any topic online. One word of advice, though, not all course materials are cheap. However, the app runs regular sales, letting you buy expensive courses for as little as $10. 

Build your online expert presence

It’s never too late to start a blog and establish your presence online. You can use a blog to promote your expertise within the industry or even to build your own business that could one day replace your office job. Some bloggers have only created a blog because they enjoy sharing their opinions and ideas. Regardless of your reason for blogging, there is a lot to gain, for your reputation, your income and your mental health. A blogging platform such as WordPress lets you create exciting posts directly from the smartphone app. You can edit your photos with an app such as Pixlr Express that enables you to adjust, correct, crop and filter your images for a consistent look. 

Run a profitable side hustle 

Last but not least, why not start a side hustle that brings a little pocket money to your household? An online selling platform such as eBay allows you to earn supplemental income by decluttering your home. You can also buy things wholesale and sell individual items on eBay. Admittedly, you need to know your market first as you might end up wasting your money on products nobody wants! 

Making the commute to and from work more enjoyable and productive can dramatically impact on your mental health. More importantly, you can use the time to boost your income, your skills and your personal image online.

This post is a collaborative effort by St. Louis Dad.

Turning Phone Idle Browsing Into Meaningful Success

It’s always the same. You made a cup of coffee, sat down, and took out your phone. You just wanted to kill a few minutes until your drink gets to the right temperature. Suddenly, your coffee is stone cold, one hour has passed, and you’re late to pick up your kids. How did that happen?

Don’t worry if this sounds like a familiar situation? We are all guilty of wasting a lot of time, mindlessly scrolling down social media apps – don’t try to deny it, surveys reveal that the average user spends almost 150 minutes every day on social networking platforms – without achieving anything. Social media consumption is the number one time waster on smartphones. Additionally, it is also interesting to mention that even though you and I spend a lot of time scrolling our social media feeds, we have also reached a level of saturation. Indeed, we watch, but we don’t engage. Needless to say, it’s a brain-numbing way of wasting your time, while there are more productive things you could do with your smartphone.

Transform your use of your phone

Learn how to  make a little money on the side

The main problem with our smartphone usage is that we tend to fall into idle activities almost immediately. If you want to make conscious and more productive use of your phone, you need to focus on activities that make a difference. Using your spare time to build a profitable side hustle is a fantastic idea, for instance. There are countless of betting apps around – you need to be careful about the ones you choose. But if you know where to look, you can start a safe investment strategy with matched betting apps. Indeed, matched betting means that you are always going to earn money – it might not be as much as if you were betting on the winning team, but it also means that you’re not losing anything apart from a few cents. In the long term, it’s a profitable way of spending 15 minutes on your phone.

Schedule your entertainment

The main reason why you might want to check on your social media network is that you’re looking for something entertaining. Social media, however, isn’t the answer. If you want to de-stress on your phone, you should consider downloading some high-quality smartphone games – you can find out more about the latest games on Kiiings, which will save you aimless searching for “games” on Play Store or the App Store. Video games are renowned for their relaxing quality – at least good games. It might not seem like a productive use of your time, but releasing stress is vital to your mental and physical health.

Click your way through a new language

Who says your phone couldn’t be educational? You can boost your skills listening to podcasts, for instance. For language lovers, there are many apps available, such as FluentU and Duolingo, to learn a new language or improve your French vocabulary. Oh la la, indeed!

In the end, your smartphone is a gadget that is supposed to help you make the most out of your day. Whether you use it for investment, education, or stress management, it’s entirely up to you. The bottom line is that there is so much more it could do for you than just showing you the latest Facebook status updates of your best mates.

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This post is a collaborative effort by St. Louis Dad.

Using Your Smartphone to Connect With Your Children

You don’t have to read the internet for too long before you come across an article that’s talking about the evils of the smartphone. They say that’s it disconnecting people from one another, or messing with children’s brains, or making us dumber, and so on. Like most articles, there’s a degree of truth in what they say, but they miss the mark somewhat. A simpler way to put it is this: a smartphone is a tool, and like all tools, it’s how you use it that matters, not the tool itself. If you use it properly, it can be a tool for bringing together a parent and their children, as we’ll see below. If you’re a parent, take a read. We’ve put together four ways you can bridge the gap between yourself and your little one.

Making Videos

A smartphone is about much more than watching videos on YouTube! Indeed, it’s about much more than just the applications that it can install. Let’s not forget that if you’ve got a modern phone, then you’ve probably got a camera that has more quality than you would think impossible just a few years ago. And this means you’ve got the perfect tool for making fun videos and photoshoots! Next time it’s a rainy day, use your phone to shoot the next big motion picture hit (well, that’s the idea!). You’ll love seeing your kids all creative, and so will they.

Staying in Touch

Though the phone can do some incredible things, the main purpose is to make it easy for people to stay in touch with each other. Now, it’s unlikely that your kids are going to spend long hours texting you when they could be texting their friends, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a digital conversation. But you should speak their language. Download the JoMojis app to your phone, and you’ll be able to send them fun emojis and stickers, whatever the occasion! It’s a fun way to stay in touch, one that they’ll appreciate.

Social Media Accounts

We give a lot of ourselves over to our social media accounts. It’s a reflection of who we are, or who we want to be! So why not join the great conversation, and connect with your kids that way? Of course, this only applies if your children are old enough to have social media accounts. You’ll gain an insight into their lives and learn what causes they’re passionate about.

Playing Games

Games have become big business on smartphones. Everyone’s got their game of choice! But instead of competing against yourself and other strangers, why not compete against your child? Some games were just made for friendly – or not so friendly – competition. If you want to make sure they’re learning at the same time, pick a game like Words With Friends, which is much more addictive and competitive than you might initially realize.

Managed properly, your phone can be a tool to get to know your children better. They’re everywhere in society anyway, you may as well put them to good use!

This post is a collaborative effort by St. Louis Dad.