I’ve only owned an iPhone for three weeks and I’m already an addict. Case in point, last night I lay in bed for an hour, watching YouTube videos (and this after I professed to be exhausted). After an hour had passed, my mind got that gross feeling that you get from eating too much candy. Just… ick. All of it was time down the drain.
I bought the iPhone to assist me in in blogging, since keeping up with my social media was becoming too big of a chore without constant Internet access. To be fair, it’s accomplished most of that purpose. But I’ve found myself reading less from actual, quality books and writing less—two passions of mine.
My phone has wasted so much time!
Correction: I’ve wasted so much time—me, not the phone. I can’t make excuses. It’s my lack of discipline that has turned my iPhone against me. I used to scoff at the people who sat around on break playing games on their phone, and now here I am doing the equivalent.
I’ve become what I hate!
So, this morning I deleted the YouTube app. Then I made up for the hour of garbage by listening to a podcast by Ravi Zacharias and a LIFE Leadership audio.
The iPhone is a double-edged sword, a portal to all sorts of possibilities. It can be used for YouTube, mindless surfing, compulsive, narcissistic social media, or addictive gaming. On the other hand, it is a business in a small box: my one-touch access to my blog, social network, email, banking and communication. It is my “portable university,” which grants me access to experts on all topics (Ravi Zacharias, Mark Driscoll and the British History podcast among them). My phone may be the single most powerful tool I own, and I was just letting it slip away.
So, here’s my resolution to use my phone for my life-purpose, not for dissipation. After all, with a great phone comes great responsibility.
What one app, if you deleted it, would save you the most time? Let me know in the comment section below.
Geralyn Wichers 
I downloaded this app called something like Bakery World. Wow was that ever a mistake. I think it sucked about 100 hours of my life away before I finally got rid of it. I was seriously addicted. It was bad.
Right now I spend most of my iPhone time on Facebook. But that’s mixed, not mostly wasting time. It’s connecting with friends and marketing so I don’t think I’m waisting too much time on it. I watch worship videos on my iPhone quite regularly and that’s a good use for it. I read the Bible on my iPhone and I like the search functionality and all the great features my Bible app has. I also read Kindle books, also a good use. I have NetFlix, which is mixed, I do think a good story in video format can be inspirational and I usually keep my Netflix time to less than 4 hrs a week.
I do play Candy Crush and Jewel Mania but only when I have a few minutes and nothing much to do. So I hope I don’t waste too much time with them. If I find a game is becoming to serious for me I delete it. I need to try a lot of games because that it what my hubby and I do for our business – make iPhone apps.
Overall, I’ve found my iPhone to be very helpful. Ok, and I love it. It’s like my best friend that I keep with me at all times. I’m totally not addicted to it or anything 🙂
No, not at all 😉