What Happens When You Stop Scrolling and Start Noticing the World Again
The morning after my keynote in Alaska this week, I found myself at my favorite cafe in downtown Anchorage. It reminds me of a million little brunch spots I’ve loved. Colorful. Delicious. Busy. So, for this special occasion and the first time in a long time, I decided to not look at my phone during the meal.
At first it felt a little uncomfortable. I spent a lot of my 20s traveling alone on business trips and married to a Deloitte consultant who traveled more than I’d ever like to. The culturally acceptable way to go to a restaurant alone is to sit at the bar and quietly scroll. That’s what everyone else sitting at the bar next to me was doing. But not today, not me, I thought as I looked around to take in all the beautiful little details.
In the rest of the post, I share what I started to notice when I put my phone away - and how that small shift changed the way I experienced the world around me, including...
the subtle, almost surprising ways people react when you’re not looking at a screen
the small, human moments happening all around us that are easy to miss while scrolling
how paying attention to ordinary scenes can bring back a sense of connection and calm
why stepping away from your phone - even briefly - can soften the constant weight of everything happening in the world