W.I.N. Wednesday: Lessons From Life's Most Powerful Question - Get your head out of your........
Get your head out of your...........phone.
When you are driving, get your head out of your phone. Regardless of what the laws in your jurisdiction are regarding talking on a cell phone and driving or texting and driving, these are are extremely dangerous behaviors. How dangerous? The following information is from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the US:
- In 2011, 3,331 people were killed in crashes involving a distracted driver, compared to 3,267 in 2010. An additional, 387,000 people were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving a distracted driver in 2011, compared to 416,000 people injured in 2010.
- In 2010, nearly one in five crashes (18%) in which someone was injured involved distracted driving.
- In June 2011, more than 196 billion text messages were sent or received in the US, up nearly 50% from June 2009.
When you are walking down the sidewalk, or through an airport, get your head out of your phone. If that e-mail or text is really that important then pull over (just like your vehicle) and deal with it. While injuries from distracted driving are generally more serious, research suggests injuries from distracted walking occur more often. It is also disrespectful to other people, and potentially dangerous, when you run into them because you have your head buried in your phone.
When you are having a face to face conversation with someone, get your head out of your phone. Unless you are doing something on your phone that has direct relevance to the conversation stop insulting the other person by checking your e-mail, Facebook and Twitter during the conversation. It is disrespectful. If you do not have time for them at that moment then let them know and get together another time.
The research is very clear on this - we are incapable of multi tasking. Yes, that includes you. You do not multi task, you task switch. While engaged in many of these activities you experience in attentional blindness, meaning you basically become blind to things in the environment you are not attending to. As a result you miss important things in the environment and you piss other people off.
What's Important Now? - Get your head out of your butt and out of your phone. Pay attention to the world around you. We will all be safer and feel more respected as a result.
Take care.
Brian Willis
Committed to the pursuit of excellence through Life's Most Powerful Question - What's Important Now?
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