Dumbing Down the Smart Phone

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I have always been an early adopter. Sometime around the year 2000 I purchased my first Pocket PC which was an early version of the smart phone, complete with a pen stylus that fit securely into the antenna of the phone. It allowed me to sync up with my Outlook mail and calendar as well as access the internet. Early on my smart phone was priceless because as a traveling speaker the number of bookings I was able to confirm was often determined by how quickly I could respond to an email. If I didn’t get back to them in time they would move on to the next speaker. On the road, there were times I couldn’t check my email for days at a time. The smart phone was a God send. Over the years I have migrated to the Mac Camp and I now carry an IPhone.

Since then my life and career has changed. Now I am a Pastor and the bulk of my ministry is given to one congregation of people. The Church I serve has just over 1,000 active members that I am responsible for as their lead Pastor. Before I dumbed down my smart phone my email or text notification buzzed about every 2-5 minutes at the busiest parts of the day. On top of that I would receive several emails and texts just as I was winding down for a good night’s sleep. I found myself living in a constant state of alert and I knew that it couldn’t be healthy long-term.

The solution? I removed all email accounts from my phone except for one that I may need in an emergency and turned off all text alerts. I have found that if I can manage the bookends of my day (early morning and late evening) that I can handle whatever comes my way in the middle.

I set a time each day for correspondence and try to empty my inbox at that time. I respond to the emails that request or require a response, I file some for further thought, and I delete the junk.

Do you find that email or text messages can be an open door for stress? Others are often emailing or texting you to get something stressful off of their mind, but if you leave the door open and respond to every message your life will soon be FILLED with stress and you will live in red alert mode. Your blood pressure will go up and your nerves will be rattled every time your phone buzzes. At that point you are a slave to phone and it no longer serves you. Take my advice, dumb down your smart phone.