Andy Bailey is telling us how he felt when his smartphone was stolen on the way to a conference:

For the first 24 hours, I felt textbook withdrawal: I was anxious, disoriented and a little scared.

He observed himself for the next few days, and of what he named as Cellular Compulsive Disorder (or CCD). Then he got to some positive conclusions:

We can survive without our phones. I’ll admit, when I realized I was phoneless, I panicked. My travel tickets, hotel reservations, calendar and itinerary were all stored in my phone. Further, without apps such as AroundMe or Google Maps, how was I going to choose a place to eat or navigate in a foreign country?

After a momentary freakout, I regrouped. Turns out, airline kiosks can still print your tickets, hotels have your reservations on file, and you can access your calendar and itinerary from any computer. For restaurant suggestions or directions, I resorted to asking the locals — worked like a charm.

• The CCD afflicted are obnoxious. I began my 90-minute speaking sessions by asking the audience of entrepreneurs to turn off their phones. Sure enough, minutes later, I’d be at the crux of a point and a phone would ring. If it wasn’t a disruptive ring tone, I’d look into the crowd and notice several texters completely zoning me out….

• After my personal CCD recovery, I participated in more in-person conversation than I had in years. Since I couldn’t fill my extra time buried in the virtual world, I re-entered the real world. I met fantastic people, and our conversations delved beneath the surface. I experienced true engagement. It was a beautiful thing…

• A CCD-free life bolsters productivity. Although we all rationalize we can accomplish more with our contacts and reference materials in the palm of our hand, it’s not true. If you’re like me, and most I witnessed during my CCD-free week, you’re using your smartphone as a distraction rather than a work tool…

I recommend reading the full piece here.

Source: tennessean.com

// Lior Frenkel