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The easy way out is just to pull your phone out. If you're uncomfortable in a social setting, the easiest thing to do is just hide behind your phone screen. I have committed to not do that. I've committed to do the exact opposite.
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What's going on? Podcast Family. My name is Michael Chernow, and this is the Creatures of Habit podcast. Our habits will make us or they will break us. I've lived on both sides of the tracks and have experienced some of the best and the worst that habits have in store. The decisions we make on a consistent basis truly define who we are as human beings. This episode will be a solo episode where traditionally I interview guests. This is a solo episode where I share with you guys experiences that I've had, things that are relevant in my life today that I think could potentially be interesting for you to hear, things that I simply just want to share or quotes or activities that I've done over the last few weeks that have inspired me. So sit back, relax, and get out your pen and paper, because what you hear in this podcast could potentially make.
- [01:16]
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Some big changes in your life. Let's go. Happy Monday. Or whenever you're listening to this episode, I want to talk to you today about screens and how screenshots stop us from thinking and what spawned this. I wrote about this in the weekly Creatures of Habit brain dump about a month ago or so. But I was on my train ride over here today. I was reminded I really wanted to do a little episode on it. I had made a commitment to myself in the beginning of 2024, 2025, that if I am on a train, if I'm waiting on a line, if I'm at an event, I am not going to take out my phone. I'm going to be present. I'm going to look around. And the reason why I did that was because I was on the train right before the New Year in New York City. It was slammed and packed holiday season. And I looked around and there was not. And the train was packed. And there was not a single person outside of some older people, but there was not a single person. And I looked at everyone that was not on their phones, looking down in complete jail. Phone jail. It happened again this morning as I was on my way over to the studio. I was on the train. I looked around and everybody on the train outside of some older people were staring at their phones. And it dawned on me. Screenshots are devolving human beings because we are. We have brains that are meant to think. And when we stimulate the brain with media, it shuts everything down. We are completely playing defense. There is no offensive thinking when you are immersed in media. None. You are not thinking offensively. You are not creating. You are not innovating. You are not thinking about the things going on in your life. You are blocking the brain from doing what it was meant to do, which is think. Boredom is kryptonite for everyone in life today. Sitting in silence, not doing anything, is healthy. It gives your brain an opportunity to breathe. And we are, as a race of people addicted to stimulation through media. We cannot be bored. Some of the greatest thinking happens in silence. Creating typically requires no distractions. So I was so happy in that moment this morning on the train that I did not have my phone out, that I was sitting on the train. I actually closed my eyes and I did some box breathing. I would never have done that if I was on my phone. It gave me an opportunity. I just thought about it. I was like, oh, I'm on the train. I can close my eyes and I can get some box breathing in before I have to do a day's worth of podcasts. And so I did. I closed my eyes. I did around 10 rounds of box breathing. It felt great. Screens really stop us from thinking. And so I would just encourage you to make a commitment not to not use your phones and not be on screens. You gotta be on screens. You've gotta use your phone. I mean, it's part of culture today, right? It's required for many people in business to be on screens. Necessary. But in moments where you don't need to be on screens, like in your commute, while you're waiting in line for something, if you're at an event and you know it's an event that maybe you don't necessarily want to be at, the easy way out is just to pull your phone out. If you're uncomfortable in a social setting, the easiest thing to do is just hide behind your phone screen. I have committed to not do that. I've committed to do the exact opposite if I'm on the train. And if I'm on the train, I do not pull out my phone. I sit in silence, and I am present, and I observe. If I'm waiting in line for something, I do not pull out my phone. I observe life, and it gives my brain an opportunity to think and create. We need to exercise our brain and doing it through dopamine hits via Instagram, or emailing. I mean, you'd think, like, emailing is in many ways productive because, you know, it's how business gets done today. But at the end of the day, you're not creating or innovating. When you're deep in email world, you're just not. So if you feel are feeling a little lackluster, you're feeling stuck, you're not feeling creative, your innovative juices are not floating, flowing. I could promise you that stepping away from the phone in times that you don't need to be on the phone will ultimately kick start your innovation, your creation, your ability to make. It's so important. It's so easy to chase the dopamine that our screens give us. And I'm not saying to, you know, I'm not one of these people that says never use the phone. I mean, shit, my business is deeply, you know, intertwined with social media and the digital world. But give yourself a break. Be okay with being bored, because boredom is actually the catalyst to innovation. It just is. You tend to want to create out of boredom. And so this was a quick one, but I just wanted to share that I think it's important that we, that we get a bit more mindful in moments where we can and using the phone as a dopamine trap. The phone is a dopamine trap, but you don't need to fall into it. It would mean the world if you subscribe to this podcast. I really, really, really am trying to grow the podcast. Full transparency. I need to increase the viewers of this pod to take this podcast to the next level. I've got an opportunity to really do something special with the podcast, but it requires me to get more listeners and more viewers and I'm asking you guys to help support me here and creatures of habit. So subscribe, give us a review, give us a rating. Share this podcast, post it on social media. It would mean the world to help me grow it. I'm asking for help. I love you guys. I hope this one hit home for you. Peace.