Week 7: Ma'am, please step away from the phone.

It drives me bonkers when I'm sitting with friends and almost everyone is doing something on their mobile phone. I mean, wouldn't they prefer to engage with the people who are actually in front of them, rather than check in on their emails, Facebook or Twitter? Apparently not.

Unfortunately, I think I'm becoming one of 'them' …

I'm not sure when it happened, but it seems I'm addicted to my phone. It doesn't matter what I'm doing, this nifty piece of electronics beckons me constantly. Emails to check, missed calls and text messages, Facebook. Anything and everything begs to be 'Googled' – the world at my fingertips. Yet, even with the whole world at my fingertips, more often than not, there's nothing particularly urgent or important to check. But check I do. Constantly.

I don't even gain a huge amount of pleasure from this incessant urge to 'check' my phone. Usually, it makes me feel weak – like I'm giving into a craving that simply can't be fulfilled. What is the cost of this relentless 'checking'? I risk missing precious moments with my son, husband, family and friends. I miss out on being in the moment.

So, this week is about taking the power back! My phone will not control me. I'm not switching off completely, but I am taking it back a notch. I will not let every ring and every beep take my immediate attention. I will not let precious moments with my son/husband/family/friends be taken away by phone-related 'checks' that can happen at another time.

Secretly, I wanted to leave this challenge til later; much later. But it needs to happen now; right now.

* This blog post, How to Miss a Childhood, on Handsfree Mama was my inspiration this week. Thank you, Handsfree Mama.