We all know we need time for renewal. We are all tired, worn out, frazzled. What often gets in the way is what lives in our hand, in our pocket, on the table close by - our phone!
RECLAIM YOUR PERSONAL TIME
The first step to really reclaim our personal time, our time for renewal and recharging is to separate ourselves from our phones. So often when we set aside time for renewal we find ourselves scrolling, checking email or surfing through our social media feeds. Time on our phones is not a valid or viable decompression activity. We need to separate ourselves from our phones.
SEPARATE FROM YOUR PHONE
If you decide you're gonna go for a walk, leave your phone at home. If you want to spend one on one time with a child, leave your phone in another room. I have a client who, during the pandemic, found a passion for flower arranging. On a coaching call I advised her to ditch her phone during her next arranging project. When we spoke again a week later she told me she just parked her phone in the other room and took 10 minute minutes to only arrange those flowers. No buzzing, no beeping, no notifications, no temptation to check messages. She noticed that being able to be present, without feeling compelled to keep an eye on email and texts, made those 10 minutes of flower arranging even more delicious, restorative and a real treat.
MAKE A PLAN
Commit to breaking up with your phone for small chunks of time throughout your day. When you get home from a busy day at work and want to really greet and absorb your kids, leave your phone in your bag or coat pocket. When you workout give yourself an undivided 20 minutes of time to spend in your body, away from input. Doing hobbies, talking with a friend or just sitting to enjoy a meal or snack, you will create more renewal, creativity and relaxation without your phone nearby. We all deserve to feel less tired, worn out and frazzled and we can do that with phone free time doing things we value and love.