Have you heard of nomophobia yet? The word first surfaced around 2008 and is defined as the fear of being without your cell phone: No + Mobile + Phobia. A recent study sponsored by SecurEnvoy has found that since 2008, the amount of people who fear being without a mobile phone has grown from 53% to 66%.
Nomophobia can cause an increased heart rate and blood pressure, shortness of breath, anxiety, nausea, trembling, dizziness, depression, discomfort, fear, and panic. Wow! Now try leading a high performing team that suffers from nomophobia, or worse yet, try leading ANY team while you are suffering from nomophobia...
The fact is, most productive, hard-charging professionals suffer some form of addiction to their various tech devices, and as such, risk the chance of being afflicted by nomophobia. So how can we beat back this affliction, overcome our growing addiction to electronic distractions, and ensure WE are using our cell phones (and not the other way around)?
There is hope. Take 30-seconds and jump into action below on these three simple steps to ensure your leadership does not suffer and you don’t succumb to nomophobia.
30-Seconds of Action to Overcome Nomophobia:
Step 1. Delete all unnecessary apps that have accumulated on your phone. And even if they are necessary, consider deleting them if they don’t serve a higher purpose in your life.
Step 2. Turn off all “push” notifications to your phone and manually “pull” whatever information you need into your phone.
Step 3. If you must use your smartphone as an alarm clock each morning, put it in “airplane mode” before going to bed. Ideally, keep ALL technology out of your bedroom in the first place.
BONUS Step 4. Avoid using smart phone apps that supposedly help you overcome your tech addiction and/or combat nomophobia. That’s like telling an alcoholic to attend an AA meeting at their favorite bar — ain’t gonna work.
Nomophobia is real and will negatively impacting your leadership and ability to make the right decisions at the right time. Implement these simple action steps to improve your effectiveness as a leader, to help others overcome nomophobia and their growing addiction to technology, and to demonstrate excellent servant leadership at work, home, and within your community.
If you have questions, comments, or other innovative ways to overcome nomophobia, leave a comment below or hit me up on Twitter @mpveltri. I’d love to hear from you.
From life or death decisions on the battlefield to the boardroom, Michael Veltri draws on his background as a battle-hardened global business executive, decorated U.S. Marine veteran, and 10-year resident of Japan to teach CEOs and senior leaders better decision-making skills that deliver stunning results. Michael is also a cancer survivor and Master Instructor in classical Japanese martial arts. His inspiring leadership keynote speeches and breakout sessions deliver practical tools that can be used immediately to increase productivity, drive better organizational outcomes, and deliver stunning bottom-line results while creating a culture of servant leadership at every level. Learn more at: https://michaelveltri.com/keynote-speaker