Are you on your phone too much?

When Danielle and I got married, we had "dumb" flip phones. And so,  we never reached for our phones during dinner. Yet, when we upgraded to "smart" phones, we had to make a rule: No phones at dinner. This rule has become increasingly more important as our daughter watches everything we do. And, if I'm honest,  I'm the worst offender of the no phones at dinner rule.

Hold on while I Tweet that I'm not a phone addict. Thanks!

Really, it's just too easy to stay buried in our phones and devices. Between social media networks, Flickr streams, and "words with friends" the only thing attempting to limit our consumption is the battery. Now, I'm not a Luddite. And, I'm not going back to my flip phone. I love my smart phone (insert Gollum sounding voice). And, when used properly, it has made life in many more ways simpler for me. At the end of the day, like anything else, it comes down to discipline and me regulating how I'm spending my time.

So, are you like me and need help in actually regulating your time? If so, then pull out your smart phone... (seriously, you'll need it) and search for an app called: BreakFree

     *It's out for Android, and coming soon for iPhone. (OK, Android users feel free to rub it in.)

This app is designed to tell you if you are addicted to your phone by monitoring your usage. Ironic right? Get an app, to see if you're addicted to your phone! 

Try it out personally, or as a family. Have a family challenge and see who can get the lowest addiction  score. Just make sure your not replacing your phone time with another device. I can hear it now, "Dad cheated, and just used his iPad!!!" And Dad defends himself with, "I was just checking my retirement portfolio... seriously I was." And, we all know by "retirement portfolio" he means his pile of coins in Temple Run 2.  ;)

It looks like a neat app that can even help parents monitor their teens usage, and set up some basic phone controls.

I'm definitely going to try it out when it's ready on the app store. And, I'll probably find out what my wife already knows... I use my phone too much.