No. We’re not going to turn into airplanes ala Starscream of the Decepticons. That would be too fucking cool and/or hurt a lot. Instead, we are going to explore a feature that you might only use on your phone every once in a while. Or, if you don’t care about airline safety regulations, baby death and possibly dying in a fiery inferno so that you can tweet “Taking off” to your 17 followers, you’ve never used it.
As I mentioned, Airplane mode is a feature on your phone. Feature. When activated, suspends all connectivity to that device. This is mostly used when planes are taking off and landing but this excellent feature of your phone is not confined to that air prison.
When used properly, Airplane mode can provide that vacation that you need from all the connectivity stuff you’ve got going on. Texts, tweets, emails blowing up your phone while you’re bed? Airplane that shit. Especially if you’re the type who has the phone twitch. You know that twitch. Next time your phone goes off, resist the immediate urge to respond to it in order to feel that twitch in action. It pulls. That moment when your phone isn’t in your pocket but you feel it or you think you heard it, twitch. Bet you looked for your phone just now, didn’t you?
I started using this after I made a promise to myself that my sleeping habits were important for my health and I should keep them. That constant interruption isn’t good for you. If you’re a manager over a 24 hour operation, you can’t stay awake all that time, nor can you wake up to address every little concern that occurs while you’re checked out. Stop trying to do so. You’re becoming a detriment to your team during your waking hours because you’re inefficient or ineffective.
Airplane mode can help. I know that there are people reading this right now that think “I can’t possibly disconnect. What if I miss something?” That’s kind of the point. You’re going to miss stuff. All that F.O.M.O. (fear of missing out) is what got you into this mess. Whose life are you living for them? Who are you constantly worrying about? What dreams have you suspended so that you can stayed plugged in? Every time I have traveled internationally, I have been without cell service. I had wi-fi in the hotel and coffee shops I stepped in to but that was it. You know what happened while I was disconnected? Nothing. I mean stuff happened but nothing that was catastrophic. Even if it had been, there’s not a lot that I could have done in that moment for the person who called me. You have to trust that they know what to do without you. If they just miss you, then they will be all the more excited when they see your message after the next wi-fi connect. “Well, what if there is an emergency?” What would you do if there was? Fret and worry from a distance? That’s probably not helping the person in the emergency. If it’s a true emergency, life-threatening stuff, chances are they are not calling you first. They’ll contact emergency services. You’ll wake up, refreshed, check your messages and say “oh no, this happened while I was asleep, let’s figure out what to do next.”
If you’re losing all that sleep and chewing all that stress due to fighting with internet trolls or arguing with people whose minds won’t change, there are more productive things to do with your time. Maybe you should edit your circle, consider who you spend time around and who you let influence your life.
Use airplane mode to help your brain take flight, starscream.
Life Resumed 