In this day and age, no teenager is found without their phone. Our lives exist through a 0.39-pound block of metals, glass, and plastics. When not distracted by an external source, our devices are our initial (and for some, only) form of entertainment. Even in interpersonal situations, the unfortunate truth is that we are probably pressing more buttons on our devices than words are actively coming out of our mouths. I might have fallen victim to the digital trap we have collectively been sucked into, but I choose to use my phone for a different purpose: productivity.
The average student would prefer to scroll mindlessly through social media than study for their geometry test or complete a Spanish worksheet about direct object pronouns. And this assumption applies to me as well: I am a vital part of this media-addicted group that encompasses such a large portion of American society. Admittedly, it is impressive we are able to do the pounds of homework we are draped in each day with such an enticing distraction centimeters away from us. Even as I sit at my desk writing this for The Echo, my phone is within arm’s reach. This device used to appeal to me in the same way that a child’s mouth waters at the sight of Dylan’s Candy Bar. Yet, that feeling no longer pertains to me; instead, I have found a compromise. Instead of completely neglecting the device which my life revolves around, I use it advantageously. How? My AirPods.
Somehow, you will never find me without my AirPods. Hidden in the corners of my pocket will always lie the same pair of white earbuds that have become an essential part of my daily routine—and my wellbeing. What did I do for the fourteen years of my life when I didn’t have them?
To answer the above question, Merriam Webster Dictionary defines the act of procrastinating as putting off “intentionally the doing of something that should be done.” Before recently discovering the life changing technology that are AirPods, I was the embodiment of a distracted, preoccupied procrastinator. But that has changed.
Now, I willingly put my phone down. Before doing so, however, I click the app that has become my genuine savior, Apple Music (lately, I have chosen to listen to my 4-hour long “winter” playlist). I reluctantly turn on the Do Not Disturb feature, put my AirPods in, and do nothing but homework. You can read more about the “soundtrack for success” in another article of The Echo, written by Claire Yoon. As an avid music auditor and a proud part of the top 2% of Noah Kahan listeners, I rely on my AirPods the same way I rely on my phone itself. And my tactic works: studying has somehow become extraordinarily more productive. My AirPods are able to rid me of all distractions and keep me fully focused. The music serves as the sole source of background noise that accompanies my study sessions. More importantly, I force myself to resist the temptation that my phone provides me with through an app known as Flora.
The app forces you to focus through guilt-tripping, a method that never fails. Each time you enter Flora, you choose your preferred “focus time.” During that period, a tree begins to grow on your screen. If you close the installation, the online tree will die. Immediately after leaving the app, users are given a suspenseful warning informing them that they must “save their tree”, forcing them to reenter their uninterrupted focus mode. There is even a feature that allows you to choose a set amount of money that will automatically be charged to your card-of-choice if you exit the app during the set focus time. As the epitome of an easily-distracted student, my life has been made significantly more productive by using Flora. For those, including myself, who thrive in isolated, interruption-free environments, the app offers us exactly what we need. Suddenly, you will willingly refrain from iPhone usage because your mind is tricked into feeling bad for the digital tree on your screen (which, in reality, is made solely of pixels, has no lifespan, and is simply a genius marketing tactic).
With Flora set on its maximum focus-time and my AirPods playing a rotation of my favorite songs of the day, high productivity is inevitable. I have found a way to make my phone personally advantageous in more ways than just the doom-scrolling privileges which I heavily abuse. My device is no longer the origin of my distraction, but rather the source limiting them. So the next time you realize you have been wasting an embarrassing amount of time staring at a screen, try taking out a pair of earbuds and growing a digital tree. That is my recipe for success.
