# Cell Phone Parking Lot

Participants review and practice a physical storage routine for mobile devices to reduce off-task screen use during a working session.

**Time:** 10 minutes. UWT suggested duration for introducing, testing, and confirming the routine
**People:** 4 to 24. Whole group orientation followed by individual walk-up turns

## Choose this exercise

**Purpose:** Establish a transparent, consistent protocol for storing or charging mobile devices during focused group work.
**Use it when:** Use at the beginning of a training, workshop, or term when unmanaged device notifications disrupt group attention.
**Skip it when:** Skip when participants require devices for ongoing assistive technology, active workshop exercises, or on-call emergency roles.

## Materials and tools

- One hanging numbered pocket organizer (minimum 24 pockets)
- Two grounded multi-outlet power strips with surge protection placed near lower pockets
- Adhesive labels or permanent marker for numbering pockets 1 to 24
- One printed or projected procedure guide visible to the room

## Before participants arrive

1. Mount the numbered organizer on a stable wall or door near the room entrance.
2. Secure power strips along the base or wall beside the bottom rows of pockets, ensuring cords do not create a trip hazard.
3. Post the room procedure sheet directly next to the organizer.

## Say this to open

Welcome. To protect our focus today, we use a cell phone parking lot. You have three options: store your phone in a numbered pocket, plug it in to charge at the bottom rows using your own cord, or keep it completely out of sight in your bag on silent. If you park your phone, note your slot number. Once our working block begins, phones stay parked until scheduled breaks.

## How to run it

### 1. Explain options (2 minutes)

Facilitator explains the three choices: keep phone muted and hidden in personal bags, place it in a numbered pocket for storage, or connect personal chargers to the lower-row power strip. Facilitator highlights that retrieving phones occurs only during official breaks or departures.

### 2. Park devices (4 minutes)

Participants who choose to park walk up one by one or in small clusters. Each person places their device into an open numbered pocket, plugs in a charger if needed, and writes down or remembers their pocket number. Those keeping phones in bags verify devices are silenced and stowed away.

### 3. Confirm protocol (2 minutes)

Facilitator checks that visible surfaces are clear of unsanctioned screens. Facilitator outlines the gentle reset: if an unparked phone creates an audible or visible distraction during work, the participant will be asked to walk it to an open slot until the next break.

### 4. Brief check-in (2 minutes)

Facilitator invites up to two brief clarifying questions about emergency contact protocols or accessibility exemptions.


## Debrief questions

- What support do you need from the group to stay off screens during our focused blocks?
- How will you handle urgent incoming calls without interrupting the session?

**Finished output:** All participant devices are either silenced inside bags or safely housed in labeled slots before content begins.

## Remote

For fully remote sessions, a physical pocket holder cannot be used. Instead, run a Digital Parking Lot: instruct all participants to quit messaging apps, activate 'Do Not Disturb' mode on their computers, and place handsets face down out of arm reach for the duration of the work block.

## Hybrid

In-person attendees use the physical wall organizer or bag-stow option. Remote participants place their handsets out of physical reach and turn off desktop chat notifications. Both cohorts confirm compliance via a chat checkmark before starting.

## Access and participation choices

- Medical monitoring apps (e.g., continuous glucose monitors) and translation tools are exempt; users retain devices on silent at their workspace without question.
- Participants may choose simply to keep their device in their own closed bag rather than placing it in the shared organizer.

## If the session gets stuck

**A participant expects an urgent personal or family call.**

Designate a quiet hallway area. Have the participant keep the phone on vibrate in their pocket, quietly stepping outside to answer if the call arrives.

**Someone forgets which numbered pocket holds their phone at break time.**

Have the participant wait until other attendees retrieve theirs, then verify ownership before taking the remaining device.


## Terms used here

- Parking Lot: A designated holding area for items (here, mobile devices) to keep work areas clear until an authorized pause.

## Participant material: Room Device Guidelines

Cell Phone Procedure:
1. Choose your option upon entering:
   a. Stow: Keep phone silenced and inside your personal bag or pocket out of sight.
   b. Park: Place phone in any open numbered pocket.
   c. Charge: Plug your own charger into the power strip and place phone in a bottom-row pocket.
2. Note your pocket number.
3. Access is reserved for scheduled breaks and the end of the session.
4. If an unparked device causes a distraction during work time, you will be invited to place it in an open pocket until the next break.
5. Medical and accessibility monitoring needs are exempt.

## Sources and adaptation

Observed in The Teacher Toolkit as an instructional classroom tool, featuring classroom procedure examples from Samantha Kanzler.

The original classroom management routine from The Teacher Toolkit focuses on K-12 behavioral enforcement (including tow-and-confiscate rules). UWT adapted this into an adult and mixed-audience professional norm: punitive towing is replaced by voluntary stowing or parking, with clear carve-outs for medical monitoring, digital alternatives, and personal privacy.

[The Teacher Toolkit](https://www.theteachertoolkit.com/index.php/tool/cell-phone-parking-lot)

Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/cell-phone-parking-lot-the-teacher-toolkit/