Smart phone: helpful or distracting?

[Anonymous]

KrazyKat – Thanks a million for the info! I will definitely check out the iPod

Right now I use a paper agenda in which lots and lots of paper notes are added because of the lack of place to write in it. And I lost one of the papers (I started dating my notes for the last few days so I know one date is missing for sure). My agenda is getting really thick! And I need reminders for thinks (which I’ll probably do with as all of you… shut them off till later 😆

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[Anonymous]

I blatantly ignore to-do lists. although, perhaps, I’ll look at it and at least remember. It would be nice if not doing something were a conscious choice I make. I do everything that is important or concrete, but not much else.

well, a droid is currently in transit to its new home!

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[billd]

I hear ya sugargremlin (I used to drive a Gremlin, and I love sugar)

>>I do everything that is important or concrete, but not much else.<<

Yes, but this is where I also have issues of my own – define important? Important to ME, because I think it is, or is it really important over-all?

I seem to do what’s important – but my views on that might be skewed.

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[Anonymous]

Hi all, new here. I have a serious internet black hole issue. I actually find the smart phone HELPS with this problem, as I am capable of sending a quick email on the smart phone and incapable of it (doing only that) on my computer. Also makes my calendar available everywhere, all the time, with a built-in backup. I store a ton of information in the contacts file and an Excel spreadsheet and these are ported to my phone…so I don’t have to remember what i will need with me at any time, it’s almost always in the phone somewhere. So I’m a HUGE fan of smart phones. The various tools just keep getting better.

I was THRILLED to find today an app for my DROID that is a “visual” timer that shows you like a pie chart how much time is left before i’m supposed to be doing something else. (“Activity timer” from LiteDroid Studios). Similar apps are available for iPhone.

Has anyone tried any of the Internet blocking softwares, that force you to constrain which sites are allowed (if any) for time periods you yourself set?

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[Anonymous]

if i get one, i’m gonna have to disconnect the internet stuff on it somehow. i’d never get out of bed in the morning otherwise, let alone far enough out of the house to get completely spaced out on the bus and end up not even making it in to work cos i was still on facebook having been up and down the same bus route 50 times by 5pm….

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[Anonymous]

you can keep a to-do list or 20 in a little ‘to do’ book, in your pocket, you know. paper and a pencil still work these days. maybe get one of these: http://www.unicahome.com/p6967/paper-palm-pilot.html

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[Anonymous]

sugargremlin- I’m obsessed with sugary food and I’m notorious for looking at friends with a pout-y face until they share their sugary foods with me..then i get very excited about it.

I think that is my problem with daily activities such as organization and cleaning..scores very low on my want priority list!

I did cave and get one!! and I am already obsessed!!!!!!!! I named it Droidy!!!! I think I hugged it the other day. It remains to be seen how this will affect my efficiency. so far.. i’m too obsessed with it (new toy) to start measuring. I am trying out a bunch of the organizer stuff.. so we’ll see!

ack….got to get running…..

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[Geoduck]

Okay, so I’m ADD and haven’t read through all the posts. You guys understand, right? LOL!!!

Here’s why I like my smartphone: I have an app that syncs with outlook, that can organize all my lists. Instead of having a pile of lists, I can add whatever it is I want onto the phone, even if I’m away from my computer. Then when it syncs with outlook, my computer and phone are both updated to match. I also can set alerts for the lists, so that helps keep me on task. I use the snot out of my calendar and alarm, as well. I could use it more, but you gotta remember to program things. Well, you gotta remember to write things down without a phone, so that’s not much different. Until there’s a smartphone implanted in my skull, it’s just the way it is.

Here’s what I don’t do, so I can keep myself from getting too distracted: I don’t set the phone to push for emails automatically. It only checks emails when I actually go and enter the app itself. This way it’s not beeping at me. It also extends the battery life, this way. I also don’t set alarms but for absolutely necessary things like the cat’s medicine, which he’ll die without, or places I’m supposed to be. If it’s a task that can be done over the next few months, I won’t set the date, so it doesn’t bark at me.

I’ve found a trillion apps, and of course being ADD, don’t probably use half of them. There are some fun games that my kids use (handy for doc office waiting rooms, btw, until they learn to knit), but I don’t find that I spend my life on the smartphone. One reason is that the battery life is significantly less than a traditional cell phone, so you really can’t spend your life on it. I also went with the smallest data plan, so I can’t spend all day surfing on it. ATT texts me when I get close to the limit, so that helps me from blindly going overboard. Limiting, I suppose, but maybe that’s not a bad thing.

Smartphones are just like any other tool. Use it wisely and it can be very helpful.

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[Anonymous]

I just figured how to sync it with google calendar.. very excited!!!!! I made a grocery list, so we’ll see how that goes. I have unlimited data, so i’ve just been letting it die to give me peace! I named it Droidy and I’m buying it a pretty new case! this thing is amazing.. It sort of made me relapse on the bedtime thing, so hopefully I’ll recover once the ‘new toy’ excitement wears off. technology loveeeeeeeeee

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[Anonymous]

I went to the grocery store today (unsupervised) and only bought what I needed for the first time in ages! I used my list! ok perhaps I did not need 12 yogurts and 2 giant boxes of popsickles. However, it was at least the same item which was on my list!

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[Author]

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