Smartphones: A Defense of Multi-tasking

No one needs a Smartphone.  Not really.  That said I am unable to live without mine.  The world as I now know it would cease to exist without my portable lifeline.  I’m not talking about being able to surf the internet from the bathroom (not that I’ve done that).  My Smartphone is more than just a cool gadget.  It’s my long-awaited ‘cure’ for attention deficit.  It's a gutsy claim, but hear me out.

My husband went in to get his phone upgraded at Verizon.  The salesman mentioned something about buy one get one free.  My eyes lit up.  "I can get one too?"  I wasn’t sure I needed one, but it was free (sort of). 

We settled on a pair of HTC Incredible android phones.  Soon we were surfing the web, checking our e-mail, and finding cool applications to download.  Within days, I was using my Smartphone to:

·    Be on time for medication/appointments/deadlines
·    Find things on Google maps
·        Track my spending
·        Sync with my laptop calendar
·        Track  To Do lists
·        Check Facebook
·        Send Twitter messages.

I struggle most with staying on task and remembering to do important stuff. 

Before, I used notepads, sticky notes, and a bulky day planner.  A co-worker called me a Post-It addict.  He was tired of going home to find my sticky notes stuck to the bottoms of his shoes.  It was a messy system.  But, if I don’t write things down, I won’t remember.  The other downfall is a planner can’t interrupt you to look at the reminder.  So, I’d end up writing notes on my hand in pen.  But even that wasn’t full proof because ink wears off after a few hand washings.

I take ADHD medication, but it offers only moderate relief compared to my Smartphone. 

A prime example is my Mercury Mariner’s Microsoft Sync feature.  It connects my phone as a hands-free device when I get inside the vehicle.  When I get a call, the car answers it.  When I want to make one, I press a button on the steering wheel.  I listen through the car’s speakers and talk through a hidden microphone.  For us distraction-prone drivers, it’s a lifesaver.

Halfway through my morning 30-minute commute one day, I realized I forgot my phone.  I drove home to get it.  I know I can’t live go back to life before my Droid phone.  Have I simply traded my sticky note addiction for a Smartphone?  Yes.  Am I safer because of it?  Again, yes.  Plus, the roads are a little safer for the rest of you.