Hey everyone! š I recently found myself reflecting on just how many smartphones I have in my life right now, and Iām curious to know about your experiences too. š¤
At the moment, Iām juggling my personal smartphone, which has pretty much morphed into my work phone. Sound familiar? It feels like our personal devices have gradually become extensions of our work lives. From sharing personal numbers to dealing with work emails, weāve all been there!
Some thoughts Iāve had:
- Communication Challenge: How do you manage telling friends and family that they might not always reach you immediately? Do you explain the dual-use of your device, or simply hope they understand?
- Data Migration: If youāve had to separate your personal data from work-related stuff, how did that process go? Did you use specific tools or apps, or just go old school with manual sorting?
- Weekend Disconnect: Is anyone else struggling to truly disconnect during weekends or after business hours? I often find myself checking work emails, even when I promise I wonāt!
As a fellow CEO, Iām curious about what strategies you use to stay proactive in disconnecting from devices. Personally, I often find myself relying on Do Not Disturb or focus mode to keep those constant notifications at bay. š But, is there a secret sauce to truly managing device overload?
Hereās a possible solution I’ve been experimenting with:
- **Schedule Device-Free Times:** Designate specific hours each day where devices are off-limits. Make it a family affairāeveryone can benefit!
- **Physical Separation:** Try leaving your work phone in a different room after hours to reduce temptation.
- **Alternative Communication:** Set up a personal communication method (like using an instant messenger for non-work stuff) to keep friends and family in the loop without mixing personal and professional.
Letās get a conversation going! How about we share some experiences and tips? š¤ Whatās the most effective strategy youāve implemented to manage your phone use, especially when itās also your work device? Drop your thoughts below!
Looking forward to hearing from all of you! š¬
I have 3 dual SIM phones.
I carry 1 to 3 with me depending on the hour etc. after work, everything except personal is muted and charging.
2. One for personal and one for business.
A couple for now
Just one. Im a solo entrepreneur and feel like Iām on call when awake. Everyone has my one number
I have one. Since Google Voice became available for Canadians that’s what I’ve been using for a business number.
I got two phones.
One for the plug and one for the load.
2 phones, 2 laptops, a PC and 2 ipads lol and yes I have many so that I can turn things off and not carry them then I just take my personal phone out and about with me
I have my personal phone that I also use for Real Estate stuff. I have a work phone provided by my job and I just ordered a phone to use for my new lawn stuff.
I then have a work computer provided by my job, and a computer for personal, real estate and my lawn care business.
I also have a tablet that I use when Iām out and about that lets me access all my stuff without lugging around a laptop.
About two weeks ago I turned my 10-year old number into my work number and got a second phone and number for personal use. I put Robokiller on my personal number and only gave it to friends and family. Honestly the small delineation between work and personal life has been amazing and Iām sorry I didnāt do it sooner.
3 phones, 6 phone numbers, laptop, two iPads
Just an idea: With modern smart phones like an iPhone you can also silo work and personal life pretty well with two e-sim numbers and using focus modes for seperate work, personalized pages and notifications.
This has the benefit of only having one device to buy, upgrade and charge while still having the peace of mind of two independent numbers and app notifications.
I’ve had the same primary phone number since around 2003. For a long time, I had a work mobile, too (until 2015). When I changed jobs in 2015 I ported my personal onto a work device so I wouldn’t have to carry two phones anymore. When I left that job in 2023 I ported it back out into a personal plan again. My jobs since 2023 have been with smaller companies that don’t issue corporate devices at all, so I still only have the one phone/number.
I have two laptops, though, and have learned the lesson in the past about not using the work machine [at all] for personal stuff. I WFH and have a KVM switch to easily switch between laptop sources on my desk.
Retired entrepreneur but I have 3 phones. 1 primary and for travel (dual esim). 1 for getting sms codes for bank/financial logins. 1 for WeChat/wepay.
I take all three with me on trips but usually two stay home.
From my experience, I opted for two phones, but then it became too much to juggle. So I bought a personal line and gave the second one away to a PA to handle ir and only to escalate things that need your attention. Since my contacts are in cloud, I just deleted my personal ones, changed dp to signal itās a business account etc. if you are strict with this, you will attain the true freedom of balance you are looking for.
Decades in the IT industry taught me how to keep everything separate LOL. When I went into business for myself I got dedicated email addresses for business (on their own domains, no less) and set up RingCentral for my phone. I have NEVER given my personal cell # to a client as they just don’t need it.
Even before RingCentral I would host my own PBX on a Raspberry Pi using Asterisk with its own phone number through a trunk and a free VoIP client on my phone.
On the flip side I don’t fully disconnect even on weekends. Email is always there but I know that on weekends I see that it’s on one of my business accounts and I just make the conscious effort to swipe that notification off to the side rather than read it.
I have 3 2 personal 1 for work
TWO. One for clients. One for clients and family. Right now I here complaints from both clients and family as I am unreachable most of the time even with 2 phones. š
2
One work and one personal. Been like that for several years now and honestly, I couldn’t imagine going back – I turn my work phone off on Sundays and leave it at home in the evenings to deliberately try and create some sort of work / life balance.
1 phone 2 numbers.
I used to do the multiple phones and devicesā¦.. but thereās no point.
Thereās cheap apps and services to allow for both work and personal to operate on the same phone/computer you just have to do a smidge of leg work to set them up.
Currently 6. Itās a revolving door of fixing and selling them though soā¦
I have 3 ready
2 laptops
2 pcs
Two phones here: one for peace, one for the hustle!
One phone for business and personal stuff. It’s all about discipline. Don’t let your phone control you! Your phone should be your little sidekick.
4 lol
I switched to a dual-SIM phone, keeping work and personal numbers separate while avoiding the hassle of carrying two devices.
Private phone and pc, work phone and laptop, but I do have Office on my pc for convenience purposes so I don’t ha e to get up and get my laptop if I left it in another room