3864: Nomophobia and the Dream of Productivity: Four Steps Toward Independence by Laura Stack of The Productivity Pro

Optimal Living Daily - Personal Development and Self-Improvement

Optimal Living Daily LLC

Education, Health & Fitness, Mental Health, Self-improvement

4.6 • 3.2K Ratings

🗓️ 3 January 2026

⏱️ 7 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com. Episode 3864: Laura Stack explores the growing dependence on smartphones through the lens of nomophobia, and how it sabotages focus, productivity, and workplace boundaries. She offers four practical strategies to reclaim your autonomy and turn your phone back into a tool rather than a master, helping you regain control, attention, and effectiveness in your daily life. Read along with the original article(s) here: http://theproductivitypro.com/blog/2018/01/nomophobia-and-the-dream-of-productivity-four-steps-toward-independence/ Quotes to ponder: "Nomophobia is a frightening example of what happens when we let our tools become our masters." "Few things require an instant response, especially when you’re working." "You must take control and turn your phone back into a tool serving you." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is Optimal Living Dealy.
0:03.2	NOMophobia and the dream of productivity,
0:06.1	Four Steps Toward Independence by Laura Stack of the ProductivityPro.com,
0:10.9	and I'm Justin Mollick.
0:12.5	And we're going to get right to it and continue optimizing your life.
0:19.9	Nomophobia and the dream of productivity.
0:21.6	Four Steps Toward Independence by Laura Stack of the ProductivityPro.com
0:27.6	For all the sum of our experiences, we can be shaped by things that happened recently, decades ago,
0:33.6	even by instinctual reactions we inherited from our ancestors. For example, there
0:38.7	are good reasons why, even in this modern age, when most have never seen one in the wild,
0:43.7	we still fear snakes. It makes sense that as we advance into the information age, we should
0:49.0	develop new fears. When I find alternately amusing and worrying is nomophobia.
0:55.0	Despite what it sounds like, this isn't a fear that tiny people in pointed hats will invade your garden,
1:01.0	is a fear of being outside of cell phone contact.
1:04.0	Before you laugh, realize this is a genuine fear defined by recent research in the UK,
1:10.0	where it was found that 66% of people would feel
1:13.3	a serious amount of anxiety if they lost or forgot their cell phone, and that average users
1:18.3	check theirs on the order of 34 times a day. Researchers have identified the same anxiety in the US.
1:24.5	This actually seems reasonable to me. Consider how often you use your phone to check the time,
1:29.2	email, headlines, the weather, and your schedule. For many people, smartphones have taken over the
1:35.1	roles of PDA, organizer, laptop, and tablet to some extent. So it makes sense that no mobile phone
1:42.2	phobia would be a real issue in the developed world.
	...

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