A couple of weeks ago, my cell phone, left in a coat pocket, ended up in the dryer.

I heard the pounding and crashing in the dryer.

I did. I admit it.

Perhaps if I had gone to investigate, I might have rescued the phone in time. Elbow deep in dishwater, I kept washing.

By the time the cycle ended, the front of my phone had cracked.

I took it as a sign. I admit it. I did.

Valentine’s Day was the next day. I’m a Verizon customer. Verizon just got the iPhone.

I could see an iPhone in my future. I could feel it in my pocket.

It’s hard to justify the $30 addition of a data plan to my bill just for fun, though. My husband and I have this ongoing debate about the usefulness of my owning a smart phone.

His position is that there’s no purpose in my having a smart phone because I am — it is true — almost always at home.

My office is here, my kids are here. It’s where I am.

When I am not here, I can easily pop my netbook into my bag. Wireless internet is easy to find if I NEED to go online.

I recently started updating Facebook via text message. I don’t tweet on the phone. (I tweet enough as it is.)

AND people who want to reach me have my cell phone number. They can call or text me. I’m certainly already as accessible as I need to be.

In my last post, I wrote about how it is difficult for me to keep my work contained. I appreciate all of you who took the time to comment. Others, who didn’t comment on the post, told me that they face similar struggles.

As we explore this topic together, I have a question: Would an iPhone make it easier?

My gut says no.

How would being more connected help me disconnect?

One of my issues is that I stalk my email. I’ll be in the middle of some family activity and I will want to sneak out of the room, run up the stairs, and sit down at my desk for a few minutes to see if I have any messages waiting. It is a really horrible habit and I am embarrassed to admit it here.

The only good thing about my compulsion to check email frequently is that I burn a lot of calories racing up and down the stairs. The fact that I am jogging the stairs several times a day takes away some of my guilt related to two of my other bad habits, eating Peanut M&Ms all day and drinking calorie filled beverages.

With an iPhone, that urgency to check email would disappear. I could set an alert and if email came through, I would know it. If I needed to reply, I could do so quickly, with little interruption to whatever else I’m doing.

But… would I also start other worse habits? Would I succumb to the allure of checking Facebook and Twitter from my phone?

Tell me something! What do you think? Would an iPhone make it easier? Or would it introduce new bad habits? What experience have you had? What has worked for you?

Note: I am using a friend’s phone until I am eligible for an upgrade (in April, just in time for my wedding anniversary.) It’s a clunker, but it gets the job done. I invite your feedback as I consider this decision.