144 times?
144 times.
According to Charlotte Lieberman’s article, “Unplug and Recharge” in Real Simple magazine (https://www.realsimple.com/work-life/technology/unplug-and-recharge), Americans check their cellphones 144 times each day.
As a flip phone user, I sometimes find it inconvenient to check my voicemail four times, much less 144 times per day. I don’t text, so that eliminates me from many circles of communication.
Even though I’m unable to relate to this staggering statistic about 144 electronic check-ins, I understand how many of us have followed the trending FOMO culture. The Fear Of Missing Out.
What are we afraid of missing? I do notice a sense of guilt or panic when I haven’t checked messages for more than a few hours.
I’ve found when I look at my phone in the morning, I get sidetracked. When I check the phone before bedtime, I struggle to sleep soundly. Even though I shut off the phone at night, I find myself thinking I can hear it ring. Maybe that’s a form of FOMO or I’ve become conditioned to hear buzzes, rings, alerts.
Last year, I made a decision to decrease my online presence. I invested more hours on writing and editing rather than spending so much time marketing my businesses. I noticed when I dedicated more energy to the jobs I have now instead of looking for new ones, I increased client referrals.
When work production comes before marketing platforms, word of mouth has spread for more writing, life coaching, and tutoring jobs. Clients are pleased that their writing or appointments move forward, sometimes ahead of schedule.
I still face FOMO. What if I miss online leads? What if someone chooses another author, life coach or writing tutor because I didn’t immediately answer their call? That may happen sometimes, but I’ve gained relief from a JOMO approach to life. The Joy Of Missing Out.
A JOMO strategy has taught me that whoever is necessary to guide me toward what I need that day, whatever “it” is, finds me somehow, someway. I’ve noticed that there’s plenty of work for all of us when we allow ourselves to find it.
JOMO. The Joy of Missing Out requires sweat equity to trust and guard myself against FOMO, but the freedom to shut windows has opened new doors. I ask myself, “What do I need to discover today so I can show up for life the best I can?” That’s joy.
Reader! Your turn!
How often do you check your electronic devices per day?
What do you notice when you decrease your check-ins? What do you notice when you increase your connections?
I challenge us to try JOMO over FOMO. Let’s replace fear with joy. I trust we’ll find joy at least 144 times today.
Joyfully,
Christina,
Lover of Snail Mail, Hobby Lobby Yarn and Dollar Tree gift cards
“Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life. You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes” (James 4:13-14).
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