When I was in university, some of my friends would prefer to study in the library than in the hostel so that they could avoid interruptions from their friends. At work, I have noticed people go offsite for long discussions in order to avoid interruptions from colleagues.

Both are effective means to help us focus only on the task at hand and defer everything else that might be happening around us.

The equivalent of this in our daily lives is a tiny little button on our phones that reads 'Airplane mode'.

In the past couple of weeks, I have been experimenting with this feature on my phone. Each day, I'm increasing the amount of time my phone spends in airplane mode. After two weeks, I am now going close to twenty three hours a day with my phone in airplane mode.

Some of the changes as a result:

The first thing I do after I wake up is not check my phone.
I am not responding to texts when I'm in a meeting or when I'm talking to someone else or when I'm having dinner with someone else.
I spend a grand total of five minutes a day on Facebook and Instagram put together, and WhatsApp is soon reaching that league.
I don't carry around my charger/power bank wherever I go as my phone battery now lasts multiple days!
The concept of notifications has become redundant.

And the best part?

I haven't missed anything and nothing has missed me.

In order to live deliberately and in a mindful manner, we need to be completely present in the moment. And that includes cutting out the possibility of all interruptions.

Putting your phone on airplane mode is a good start in that direction.