We Treat Our Phones Better Than We Treat Ourselves

What do you do when your phone battery hits 20%? I'd bet you scramble for a charger. Maybe your Battery Panic Threshold™ is higher, like 40%, and you’d never dare let your phone die.

(Maybe you're crazy and toe the line to see just how long it'll last.)

Now, think about your Battery Panic Threshold as it applies to your *internal* battery. For most of us, 20% doesn't send us running to the couch, bed, or gym to recharge.

Too often we willingly run ourselves down to 1%. We test how long we can last running on fumes. We ignore the warning signs and pop-up messages, the ones that alert us via back pain, headaches, hunger, or even frustration and depression.

It's almost a feat—to eke out those last few hours of work before stepping away, cross-eyed and haggard.

It makes us feel proud.

Or, what about this scenario: Using our phones *as* they charge. I don't know about you, but my phone charges significantly slower if I use it while charging. (No ... I don’t have the latest model.)

This is another important analogy—trying to be productive and creative as we attempt to recharge. It's not possible.

The quality of work we do when watching a movie, spending quality time with friends, or falling asleep is far lower than when we're fully charged and ready to go.

It's hard to step away from work and allow yourself to recharge. I'm literally struggling with this right now—it wasn't until my therapist shared the phone analogy that it all clicked with me.

Pushing your phone past 1%, ignoring the gas light on your car ... the only outcome of these choices is that these machines will die. This is why we scramble for a charger or rush to a gas station at half-tank.

Sadly, we tend to treat our devices better than ourselves and our creative energy.

Don't let yourself get to 1%; it's tempting to test how long you can run, but it can only hurt your creative and mental health.