Phones vs. Friends

Alternate post titles: How to not ignore your friends when you’re with them and Put your freaking phone down!

This post has been a long time coming. And quite honestly, I’m not great with this all the time either but since noticing it happening so much, I’ve been making a conscious effort to pay more attention to the company that I’m with than what’s happening on my phone.

We’ve all been there, you’re sitting at dinner with a friend and someone sends them a text. They pick up their phone and enter in a text conversation and next thing you know, they’re paying more attention to their phone then you. It doesn’t make you feel that great…let’s be honest. We’ve all been on both sides of it, but the hope is that after you’re on the receiving end, you realize how much it sucks and make the effort to not partake in such behavior. Or at least be sure to apologize when you do.

I understand this is probably weird coming from a blogger. Someone who shares their life through pictures (taken from their phone), social media, etc. It’s especially interesting when you attend a blogger event and it’s not uncommon to have a group of people all on their phones, taking pictures, and posting to social media.

But regardless, I think it’s a great reminder (blogger or not) to be sure that when we’re with our friends, we take some time to put our phones down and enjoy each others company. Here are a few tips.

• Keep your phone in your purse or pocket
• If you do keep your phone on the table, keep it face down so you’re not tempted to pick it up the moment you see a notification come through.
• It’s okay to check your phone while you’re out, just be sure to only check it every once and awhile vs every minute or two.

How do you ensure you’re not spending all your time on your phone and enjoying your friends company?