Dear Readers,
I think we can all agree as a society that we spend too much time looking at screens and not enough time looking at other people or getting outside and active. I was thinking about this as I watching a commercial for deodorant which advocated getting out of the house and get active which made me ask the question, why do we need commercials to encourage us to do that?
We KNOW it’s good for us, and yet, we don’t always make that effort.
Same goes with eating foods that are good fuel for our bodies, but that’s another post.
Going back to getting more active, let’s talk about that, shall we?
The attempt to blackout all social media is pointless, the goal is to be intentional with my digital use.
Some days I do better than others, and it’s about progress, NOT perfection.
One step I have taken is to start waking up with an alarm clock. I am also working to give up the “Snooze” and speak more French. It was bought six months ago and I only started this two days ago, but details, details.
To report, Monday worked great, (Day 1 is always the easiest, isn’t it?) Today was Day 2 and I snoozed twice which is better than my normal 3-5 times so I am calling it a win.
Yes, I know, I know, you want your phone, but think about that. If your phone is the first thing you touch in the morning, that sets the pattern and habit to be interacting with “IT” all day. What if you change just this one habit? What could happen?
Another thing I do is think twice before I pick up my phone to review the calendar or log on to Facebook, or other applications or games.
The most vital of these (unplug) moments is also the hardest. Every day from 4:30-7:30 p.m, I shut down my phone to give full attention to my child. I did not realize how important this was till my 3 year old pointed at my device and reached for it, saying, “Phone”. I did not teach her that word, yet at 3 years old, she already knows what it is.
The very notion that it’s hard for me to PUT my phone in the other room (studies have shown, if it’s in the room with you it still pulls your focus, isn’t that crazy?) makes it all the more important that I stick to my word.
But look at what I would have missed if I was not looking at her but rather looking at my phone ?
My hope is to inspire just ONE person to examine their use of devices over their interaction with people. All I am asking, is for you to THINK about it.
Yes, it is fun to scroll and read and comment and like and I love my word find games for relaxation and keeping my brain sharp, but I recently started to count how much time I spent on games and Facebook using an application called “Moment” which is free to use, and this screen really caught my eye, because it tells the world you are unplugging and “living in the moment” for a specified duration. I like that, I like the idea of choosing to be away from your computer.
If the idea of putting your phone down for a day or a week makes you twitch, this post is for you.
There is also a low-tech version, you can just put the phone down and go do something.
To be clear here, I am not against technology, I am against mindless technology. Applications like “Moment” can be leveraged to help us “Unplug” and “Reconnect”
Case in point, you are reading my words, which I appreciate, and after this, what will you do to unplug and more importantly, RECONNECT?
Think About It.