National Carry AcademyDistracted Carry: On Alert On Your Phone
November 23, 2015
On Alert and on Your Phone
It is a common picture everywhere. People with the head down to the ground, face in the phone. Face it, there are times we all get bored waiting on things. It could be sitting in the lobby at a restaurant waiting to be seated, in the doctor’s office waiting to be seen. Maybe it’s waiting for an oil change and tire rotation at your local Pep Boys. While sitting there, you see a stack of old outdated magazines and think, this is going to take forever. So you pull out your phone to help pass the time.
After cleaning up your email inbox and surfing Twitter and Facebook you wonder why isn’t he done yet. Oh well, anytime now. Head back down in the phone, you come across a few to many “Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon” clips that must be watched. Next thing you realize it has been well over an hour and a half. You then listen for the sound of air ratchets going off and rolling tires. Nothing! You come to the realization, that you lost track of time and reality while being sucked into your phone.
We have all done it, loose focus of the world going on around us. Every human on earth has been exposed to boredom and the down time. The only problem is, as humans we can generally focus on only one thing at a time. When there is something in your pocket so alluring and instantly accessible, it is easy to go right to it, getting sucked in for hours at a time.
This is totally normal, but as a concealed carry holder, being proactive instead of reactive in dangerous situations is important. When you are not paying attention to the surroundings, you can’t defend yourself. Here are some basic guidelines on being situationally aware and still on the phone. Remember who, what, where, when and how.
Who: Scan your surroundings. Have a rough idea of how many people are in the room with you.
What: Get in the habit of looking at what time it is and keeping track of that time while waiting. It is easy to get lost in your phone, making it easier to lose track of what is going on around you
Where: Be observant of where your entrances and exits are located and sit with your back away from them. This will allow you to see how is coming and going from the location that you are at.
When: Every 10-15 minutes, change your position in your seat or move to a different chair in the room. The average human attention span is about 10 minutes. If you find yourself fidgeting, tapping your foot or rubbing your head, chances are you have reached that limit and should move around to help regain focus.
How: Keep the phone addict body language. Be observant but inconspicuous. Channel your inner detective and do all of the above (who, what, where, when, and how) by keeping your head down, posing that you are browsing the web.
This day in age, with everyone so distracted by technology, it is good to have the upper hand and the knowhow when you feel in danger. By following these basic guidelines of who, what, where, when and how, it will help you to be proactively on alert and out of dangerous situations before they even occur.
Distracted Carry: On Alert On Your Phone
November 23, 2015
On Alert and on Your Phone
It is a common picture everywhere. People with the head down to the ground, face in the phone. Face it, there are times we all get bored waiting on things. It could be sitting in the lobby at a restaurant waiting to be seated, in the doctor’s office waiting to be seen. Maybe it’s waiting for an oil change and tire rotation at your local Pep Boys. While sitting there, you see a stack of old outdated magazines and think, this is going to take forever. So you pull out your phone to help pass the time.
After cleaning up your email inbox and surfing Twitter and Facebook you wonder why isn’t he done yet. Oh well, anytime now. Head back down in the phone, you come across a few to many “Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon” clips that must be watched. Next thing you realize it has been well over an hour and a half. You then listen for the sound of air ratchets going off and rolling tires. Nothing! You come to the realization, that you lost track of time and reality while being sucked into your phone.
We have all done it, loose focus of the world going on around us. Every human on earth has been exposed to boredom and the down time. The only problem is, as humans we can generally focus on only one thing at a time. When there is something in your pocket so alluring and instantly accessible, it is easy to go right to it, getting sucked in for hours at a time.
This is totally normal, but as a concealed carry holder, being proactive instead of reactive in dangerous situations is important. When you are not paying attention to the surroundings, you can’t defend yourself. Here are some basic guidelines on being situationally aware and still on the phone. Remember who, what, where, when and how.
Who: Scan your surroundings. Have a rough idea of how many people are in the room with you.
What: Get in the habit of looking at what time it is and keeping track of that time while waiting. It is easy to get lost in your phone, making it easier to lose track of what is going on around you
Where: Be observant of where your entrances and exits are located and sit with your back away from them. This will allow you to see how is coming and going from the location that you are at.
When: Every 10-15 minutes, change your position in your seat or move to a different chair in the room. The average human attention span is about 10 minutes. If you find yourself fidgeting, tapping your foot or rubbing your head, chances are you have reached that limit and should move around to help regain focus.
How: Keep the phone addict body language. Be observant but inconspicuous. Channel your inner detective and do all of the above (who, what, where, when, and how) by keeping your head down, posing that you are browsing the web.
This day in age, with everyone so distracted by technology, it is good to have the upper hand and the knowhow when you feel in danger. By following these basic guidelines of who, what, where, when and how, it will help you to be proactively on alert and out of dangerous situations before they even occur.