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Smart phone: helpful or distracting?

Smart phone: helpful or distracting?2011-06-08T05:32:32+00:00

The Forums Forums Tools, Techniques & Treatments Smart phone: helpful or distracting?

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  • #89685

    Anonymous
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    Post count: 14413

    I have persistently resisted getting a smart phone. I have had an unused phone upgrade for nearly 2 years now. I can easily afford the extra monthly online fee.

    I am afraid that it will distract me! I already have a compulsive internet problem. I call it the “internet trance”. I just start surfing and time just disappears and I open new tabs faster than I can read them. It was less of a problem when computers and internet were less powerful; i used to crash the browser. It is more relaxing to me than a nap. Do I want little games and applications? or will I find myself fiddling with the phone and finding myself further down the inefficiency hole? Will emails and facebook haunt me outside of my home? Will I be chained to technology? I know I don’t really like text messaging. I hear that beep and I must check the phone before I can think about anything else. It is exceedingly annoying when I am trying to do something.

    why a smart phone could be useful: I am having a really hard time keeping up with adult life. I have a day planner I forget to look at, cannot find, or forget to write things on. Things were much easier when I was a full time student who just focused on school. I keep all my to-do list thoughts in my head and get very overwhelmed thinking about them all at the same time. I almost forgot something important today. I am usually lucky enough to remember something in the nick to time to go do it, but this really infuses life with anxiety.

    What do you guys think? What is the best type of phone for using as a planner?

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    #104793

    Bibliophile
    Member
    Post count: 169

    I love having access to my calendar at all times. I am horrible at daily planning and keeping tack of appointments and my smart phone allows me to micromanage my time with reminders. It also means I have a camera when I need one, which is something I always forget to bring on outings.

    The downside is that I am compelled to respond to work issues 24 hrs. Granted, with remote email access, I was already doing this to some degree.

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    #104794

    shutterbug55
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    Post count: 430

    I have a land-line, and no cell phone of any kind at all. I am reclusive by nature, so the idea of going out of my house takes me some effort to put into action. The idea of being in connection to the rest of the world while I am outside the house, is enough to make me want to draw the curtains and turn off the lights. I don’t get many calls because I don’t know that many people.

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    #104795

    Anonymous
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    Post count: 14413

    I like my cell phone camera too =). I’m still waffling back and forth. I have always managed to remember the most important things, but now I live in grownup land (hooray for graduate school prolonging adolescence to age 27) and it is getting harder! I would hate to be connected to work 24/7. I have a hard enough time relaxing as it is. I had my friday scheduled time off for a conference all ready (i checked multiple times), but I forgot to tell anyone else >_<. I’m dreading all the emails from people who feel ignored and bailed on for Monday. I’m a medical professional..so crossing my fingers nothing important happened or I didn’t screw anything up for anyone..

    I like to spend a lot of alone time; I get overwhelmed with people sometimes. However, I do need socialization. Sometimes I get stuck in my house out of lack of directed motivation or getting lost doing something else (probably on the computer).

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    #104796

    Anonymous
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    Post count: 14413

    I love my iPod touch. It can access the internet wirelessly at home, so really is no different to my laptop apart from being harder to use for internet stuff, and with less internet features to play with (Facebook just isn’t as tempting on the iPod touch), but cannot access the internet elsewhere unless there is free wireless. So, I can use all the features, like a calendar, alarm, reminders, etc etc but not be tempted by the internet/email when I am out. Of course there is always home, but I have my laptop anyway, so I am doomed there regardless. The games and bits were a bit of a time waster to begin with, but they get boring after a while. They are still good for keeping entertained while waiting for the kids to get out of school, waiting for appointments etc, and I have put books on it so I can read if I want to as well.

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    #104797

    Anonymous
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    Post count: 14413

    I’ve been searching for an electronic organiser for a while now. I don’t need a cell phone but one doesn’t seem to exist without the other nowadays. I’m beginning to look towards the i gadgets. As distracting as they might be, they are too useful a tool for us ADDers. I really need one. The problem is that I don’t have neither wireless or high speed Internet.

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    #104798

    Anonymous
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    Post count: 14413

    The iPod will connect to a computer with a cord in order to transfer apps and to charge it. So any form of internet would be okay, just slow when downloading apps. Android systems work the same also. There are a few out there without the phone part. Tablets like the iPad and android versions are good because they are easy to read, but storage is a bigger issue, unless you take a bag with you everywhere, like me. And the iPod touch has no phone either. But all of these systems will need some form of internet, even if it is just dial up. But if you are a patient person, many places have wireless internet free (MacDonalds for one) where you could go to download apps etc. While they can be distracting, the tools available on them are so valuable that it’s well worth it.

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    #104799

    Anonymous
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    Post count: 14413

    is there a place on your phone to write a grocery list? or just a generic to do list, versus a specific day on a calendar? I wrote a mini to do list a few days ago and honestly blatantly ignored it! I just didn’t feel like doing any of it at all, so I didn’t >_<. My friend talked to me about using a google calendar. Since I’m addicted to my computer, something to consider. I do need to buy a special planner for work because I’m losing control of my email red flags! really a whole lot of obsessing and little action. I must do something.

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    #104800

    Anonymous
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    Post count: 14413

    No smartphone here, I have a cellphone but don’t use texting or surfing capabilities. I also don’t use it, just to take messages. When I’m at home, I forward it to my home phone.

    I could use something like a whiteboard for the computer, something I could hand write on and erase at will. The whiteboards are really useful for me but I can’t carry them around with me.

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    #104801

    Anonymous
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    Post count: 14413

    I LOVE my Droid X. It’s been an ADD lifesaver. My calendar app (CalenGoo) sync’s with my Google calendar and my google task’s. I have another app for tasks that sync’s with the all the above AND it has alarms to remind me when something is due. It’s helpful, but definitely not ADD proof. I set up a task with (!!!!!) reminder’s that alarmed everyday and on scheduled hours up until the due date, but I still forgot it (I had a lot going on at the time). Benefits: fits in my pocket (as opposed to needing a gimugous purse for my gimungous date book), I don’t lose loose paper’s or sticky notes, because there aren’t any to lose, lots of choices for “tool” and “productivity” apps (to-do list’s, budgeting, alarms, stopwatches, on & on-just choose what works for your brain) **and you can uninstall apps if you don’t like them** ***most apps are FREE***, there’s an app to instantly record yourself, conversations, lectures….,NOT TO MENTION…. IT’s A PHONE with camera, video, mp3, GPS!!!!

    Have I convinced you? Of course the down side is getting sucked in for hours doing absolutely stupid things, like spending 6 hours personalizing the colors and fonts for your calendar, but clearly, the benefits out way any anxiousness about being obsessed with your smartphone. When you get your smartphone, allow yourself a day or two of guilt free obsession. It’ll take about that long to just figure out the basics how to use it. (Pretty much everything KrazyKat said, but with more ’emotional reactivity’!) ;]

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    #104802

    Anonymous
    Inactive
    Post count: 14413

    Hahahaha!!! I cracked up when I read your take on the down side. That is just what I did when I got my iPod touch. I just had to personalise everything. Can’t possibly have a tedious boring colour scheme lol :D And I spent hours researching apps, checking out reviews to see what features they all had and who liked what app better, then downloading them to have a play. And then it was onto organising the music and making sure I had all the album artwork so it would look pretty when I was playing music. And then the books…with their cover art!! Good grief!!!! What a time waster it was initially. Eventually I got totally overloaded and barely touched it except to use it for a few basics. Now I am at a happy medium. I discovered which apps were my favourites and dumped the rest, and every now and then I drag it out to play with, but I don’t seem to find myself being sucked into a deep dark hole like I do on the computer (when I happen to look up at the clock and find hours have passed when I have gone online to “quickly” check something out). I use it for what I wanted to use it for and I have found it really helpful.

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    #104803

    Anonymous
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    Post count: 14413

    Sugargremlin, I am sure there are multiple apps for grocery and generic to do lists. I haven’t quite got into the habit of using an electronic one because it needs to be under my nose before I will see it, though I plan on trying to change this, as the paper everywhere is really getting to me!

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    #104804

    Anonymous
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    Post count: 14413

    We have a collection of cameras, film and digital, and a refrigerator with bulk film We’re not going to a smartphone camera any time soon!

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    #104805

    Anonymous
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    Post count: 14413

    imanon. definitely a convincing argument. You are right that I would have to devote a few days to obsession or it would become an entire lost week of shame, guilt, and absolutely nothing accomplished. you are making my little really old ENV2 feel insecure! I just went on the Verizon phone site and looked at a bunch of stuff…… for $100 I could get a droid X . you are a horrible human being =P…. *twitch* 8mp..camera…….. as if I ever remember to bring a camera anywhere……. the droid should come to my home and do my dishes.. bleh I hate not having a dishwasher…

    KrazyKat. yes the computer is a deep dark hole!!! but I could not survive without it!!!

    thanks guys =)

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    #104806

    billd
    Member
    Post count: 913

    Pocket full of paper notes works well. If I have a calendar on my phone, I simply snooze or ignore it anyway…………..

    Yeah, have a new android, I’m a techno-geek work in IT, computers, all the latest junk, but not for reasons of organization.

    Outlook reminders are there to be snoozed.

    Task lists are there to confuse, better off saying I’ll get to that later.

    shutterbug I can relate, in some ways, say online, I’m rather outgoing and abrasive, in person I’m so introverted that 2 people is a crowd to avoid. Never make eye contact.

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