Where does your mobile phone live?  In your hand, on your desk, in your bag or somewhere in the house/office but you are not too sure where?

Behind the funny introduction lies a very important question: do you use your mobile phone consciously or does it occupy a lot of your life without you realising?  And how is that important?

Mobile phones and other devices have so far modified our behaviours (and our brains!) that there are specialists working on technology addictions.  Some of the signs of a technology addiction as described by the London Nightingale hospital include spending increasing amounts of time on the device, feeling restless and anxious when not using, forgoing necessary sleep to use…

But even if, hopefully, you are not at the addiction level, becoming aware of the way you use your mobile phone can make a huge difference to your everyday life. Over the past few years, I have for instance become aware when on holidays at the beach or in a sea-side spa that where most people there were before just lounging, chatting, reading or dozing off, that many were now on their mobile phones. Even at spas where it is strictly requested to leave the phone in the cloakroom or on the beach where the heat and light are such that they make their use awkward.

In 2005, research from the University of London showed that texting and emailing throughout the working day can « fog your brain » and knock 10 points off your IQ.

So, if you often feel overwhelmed with the amount of things you have to do, think about, work on… limiting your mobile phone (or tablet or any other device) usage could be one of the most important simple steps to take.

If you value your brain and your sense of inner peace and want to retain mastery of your time and life, here are a few pointers that could help if you are not already doing them:

• When you are not expecting a call, put the phone on silent or even flight mode, if feeling brave, and keep it away from you, at the other end of the room or the desk, not in your hand.

• Time yourself when using it for social media or even take social media off the phone and check that when at your computer and for a limited time only.  Choose very carefully what apps you need on your phone. You may even want to sort them so that you have one page with the personal ones and one with the professional ones so that you are less tempted to check the pro ones at times where you are not working.

• Always switch off all alerts on your phone.

• At night, switch it off and leave it in another room. If you are using it as an alarm clock (although there are far better options than a mobile phone for this), put it on flight mode and far away from your head.

• Do not take the phone out on the restaurant table, do not check your phone at dinner time at home or at any other social times.

• Generally speaking, decide when to use it: what time to start using it in the morning/to stop using it at night. For instance, If you want to start your day quietly but want to watch your favourite series on your phone at breakfast, put it on silent.  You could even download the episode and keep the phone on flight mode.

In a nutshell: make conscious decisions and have a strategy.  Use the phone as what it is: a useful tool, when you ned it.  Do not let it use you as a slave.

If you need help with finding inner peace and retaining mastery of your time and life, what about downloading our free Guide to Serenity?