I know it’s obvious, but I’m guilty of breaking this rule more often than I’d like to admit. Tonight we had a zoom chat for the first time in a long time, and I realized my rule of no phone from 6 to 6, made easier by charging it in a very inconvenient spot, has made me more attentive during zoom calls. Well, this zoom call to be precise, but I think there has been a shift already.

While normally I do get a bit sidetracked listening to other people, I think the 6 to 6 rule has made me want to pay attention more. Since I’m not distracted with my phone, I want or need even to become more engrossed in what it is I am doing.

Likewise, the one screen rule is a good one too, which I think is pretty similar. Both have the same purpose of allowing or forcing you to focus on one thing. TV is ok, but just not with your phone. Phone is ok, just not with TV. The same goes for zoom calls too. When you’re in a zoom session, all other distractions are turned off. When you’re in a zoom session, you’re in a zoom session.

Don’t get me wrong, I still have urges to reach for the phone and to succumb to other distractions, but with these rules, it gets easier to overcome them, and I truly am starting to feel the rewards.