At times we hear but don’t listen. At times we listen but don’t hear. Many people talk about the inefficiency of using a smart phone. I shrugged it off. “I need to check Whatsapp messages. I can see the weather. I can check the web. I need a GPS. I can’t get rid of it.”

Recently I was listening to a shiur / lecture by a Talmid Chacham – Rabbi Lior Glazer in Hebrew. I forgot the topic. But one of the things he mentioned was that the smart phone has become an item of addiction.

Today, many people search for Yeshuot / salvations. They do segulot, give tzedaka, pray. All good things. Some go to great rabbis to ask for a blessing. Rabbi Glazer said that a Gadol HaDor / Great Rabbi of the Generation – Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky – used to tell people to go to a person who was humiliated in public – and did not respond – and ask him for a blessing. That person’s blessing will most likely be effective.

He said recently – Rabbi Kanievsky – has been giving other advice to have a Yeshua / Salvation. “Get rid of one’s smart phone.”

So I decided to put my smart phone on ice. I bought a flip phone. I locked the web browser. Now I can’t surf with my phone or check my whatsapps with it. (Now I check my whatsapps with my computer once a day).

I noticed something interesting. I have Norton Parental control on my smart phone and computers. I noticed that just my weekly whatsapp usage went down to about a one quarter of the time of my former usage. Let’s say the usage time was about 3 and one half hours. It went down to 50 minutes – Saving me about 2 hours and 40 minutes a week.

When I do check my whatsapp – it do it once a day. I get all these messages. Most of them are not personal. Many are ads.

I used to check my messages almost every hour. Now I check once a day. People can still call me. People can send me text messages. I don’t get distracted.

I feel less stressed. More in control. Less dependent on the phone. It’s a great feeling. And I’m more efficient.