I ain’t a power user. I’m not an app whore. I am a solid iPhone user, though, and for someone who is not ahead of the curve (ever) I’m astounded at the place this thing has in my life. I realized this morning that in the time between being bundled and snoring with one dog next to me, and one dog under the bed below me, and the time my feet hit the floor I hit five apps on my phone. Five.
I’m sure a few people use more. I’m sure a few people aren’t so attached to their phones. What does it take to get me out of bed?
Well, the alarm clock! Duh! Probably to the detriment of my health or something I hit snooze no less than three times and do my best to fall back asleep in between the electronic melodies in protest.
Then there’s facebook. That is like reading the morning paper in bed for me. I get the “news” on what’s happened after I’ve dozed off at night and before I’ve woken up. It’s like having a nice abridged chat with all my friends before I wake up. I usually get a good laugh at something. But I wake up not feeling alone, and there’s value in that.
Scrabble. Yeah, it’s been mentioned in a couple of my blogs. I try to return a few games to my buddy more often than not when I’m still peeling the crust from my eyes. I strangely feel like I’m accomplishing something quantitative before I even move. (Notice I was compelled to pick the game with the most kickass score so it looks like I am a master.)
The Habit Factor. Best $6.99 I’ve spent on an app. This is a way you can write down your goals and habits you want to work on no matter how big or small, and check off whether or not you have done them for the day. After a frenzied decade of “winging it” and “flying by the seat of my pants” and using bandaid solutions for everything, I’m really ready to rid myself of some of the chaos. There were just too many things that I knew I was supposed to be doing that I just could not get a handle on. Like really small things even. I can’t deal with everything being hit or miss. So every week or so, I’m adding a new one, and because I’m so self-competitive and analytical, I won’t let myself miss a day–more because I don’t want to fail than because the things I’ve chosen to do for myself are good for me and my sanity. But I lay in bed and check off the things from the previous day and remind myself of what needs to be accomplished or not forgotten in the day ahead of me. I think it helps center me and remind me that I am important and that so are the details that support my existence.
And then, of course, there is the weather. I mainly do this to see what the temperature is so I can dress properly for the weather. No brainer. I’ve also been smarter to make sure I don’t linger in bed on rainy days because I know the traffic on the way to work is gonna be extra slow and extra crappy.
