This is the day when we admit to ourselves that we use our smart phones too much. I know that I carry mine around with me from room to room so much that my youngest child thinks that I “have to” have it with me and will bring it to me. Cute? On some level, yes. Scary? Absolutely. I don’t want to be that ghost mom that zones out into her phone so hard (even in the name of “work”) that I set that example for my kids.
Take a look at your phone use today and be honest with yourself. How much are you on your phone? Do you feel it’s too much? Do your kids or family members feel it is too much? If you want to make some changes, take a look at the list below and choose one (or many) things that can help you do a little bit of smart phone detoxing.
Not sure where to start? Try one of the tips below!
- Install a usage tracker on your phone to see how much you really use it
- Designate a place to store/charge phones when not in use so you can focus your attention on the task at hand
- Commit to a digital day off—turn off your phone and turn into your family
- Turn off all notifications on your phone
- Start that creative project you’ve been putting off! Use your time you spent on your phone to take up a hobby or pursue a creative passion
- If you feel like you’re on your phone too much, the moment you feel that way go outside and do something. Notice the world around you, take deep breaths, go for an impromptu walk, listen to the birds, anything that brings you back to nature
- Make “more eye contact” a goal & you’ll find your focus shift to that rather than your phone
- Schedule times to be on your phone and then don’t use it outside of those times
- Figure out what realistic limits you need, create those limits for yourself and then stick to them
- Take regular breaks from social media—either one day per week or for a set amount of time (like a full week or month). Delete the apps from your phone during this time
- Delete time sucking apps from your phone and commit to only using them on your computer