Felt Like I was in Church... ALL DAY (Day 2)

You know how in church you have to put all electronics away- no music, no cell phones, or any other form of entertainment aside from whoever's talking- and focus entirely on what's in front of you? THAT'S what I felt like all of Sunday :(( I couldn't text my friends when I got bored or watch tv to help pass time, which made it feel like one of the longest Sundays I've ever gone through. However that's a pretty good thing considering how much time I needed to cram for finals. The day started off with me waking up earlier than expected from a long night, and habitually I checked my phone for missed texts and/or calls. I had already replied to a text when I realized that I was amidst day 2 of the media deprivation torture, or as prof. Lopez likes to call it "project". I then mentally prepared for the day ahead of me- drives filled with silence and dead time filled with nothing. But then again, if there was ever a day I actually needed to put all of my gadgets (as my mom would say) away it was Sunday, the day before finals. I came to realize how distracting my phone and the tv can be, especially when I'm studying. Usually I study for a good 10, 15 minutes then check my phone or surf the web because I a) get bored or b) get stuck on something and choose to avoid it. Without my phone I was pretty much forced to endure the arduous material I was studying, a definite benefit I gained from this project. Also, without having the tv on as "background noise" while I'm studying, I wasn't sidetracked by an interesting commercial or show. Throughout Sunday I can honestly say I was the most efficient, in terms of studying, that I've been in a long time and might even have developed new habits that don't involve any distractions (well maybe Facebook but taking away the tv and phone is a big step). Aside from studying I went out to eat with the family and again, my media deprivation came into play while we were waiting for our food. Like nearly every person who has any form of technology on them, I turned to my cell phone to pass time. Because it was only my second day of media deprivation, I wasn't surprised that I instinctively turned to my phone without remembering the rules. The drive home from the restaurant was awkward, as I was forced to sit in a car for 20 whole minutes and... talk?! Since my dad was listening to the radio it was a welcome break- I was going to see if he wanted to turn it off and participate in the project but eventually decided... nahhh, it's a loophole! My desperation to interact with some sort of mass media showed how reliant I am on technology, and a mere two days without what I thought were necessities turned my days upside down. Rather than text people when I'm bored simply to start conversations turned into me focusing on my surroundings and the situation at hand. Car drives that are usually spent with trashy rap music blasting from my stereos instead consisted of me looking at the road and the cars around me, which although it sounds obvious is extremely beneficial for any driver to have one of their major distractions taken away. The two days I spent depriving myself of mass media helped me learn how reliant most of our generation is on their cell phones, music, and especially social networking. Although I'm close to positive I wouldn't have made it for 100 hours without FB and my phone, I definitely learned a lot about my daily routine and what I turn to too easily for comfort and entertainment. Well now that the project's over all I can say is I MADE IT, and now it's time to study... without music!