My dentist's offhand comment about my phone changed how I wait anywhere

I was sitting in the waiting room last Tuesday, scrolling through the same 3 apps on loop, and my dentist walks out early to grab me. He just said, "You know, you look more tired after 10 minutes on that thing than after a root canal." It hit different because he wasn't trying to be clever, he just pointed out what I already knew. I started counting how many times I picked up my phone during a 40 minute wait at the DMV in Portland and it was 22 times. Half the time I wasn't even reading anything, just swiping to feel busy. Now I leave my phone in the car when I go to appointments and I just sit there, which is weirdly uncomfortable at first. Has anyone else tried this and actually stuck with it, or does the boredom always win by day 3?

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1 Comment

kevin2181mo ago

22 times in 40 minutes is honestly impressive, that's like a workout for your thumb. I tried the phone in the car thing once and ended up just staring at the crack in the ceiling wondering if it was load-bearing.