A few weeks ago my husband and I sat down to make some Near Year's Resolutions (I know, I know. We are a couple of months late). We had decided a week earlier that we would think about the goals we wanted to make throughout the week and then come back and share with each other.
One thing I thought was interesting was that one of our goals was exactly the same to the very word! It was this: Park. Your. Phone. We both used those 3 words and we both meant the same thing.
We weren't talking about “parking” our phones while driving (although we all should definitely be doing that).
No, we were talking about Parking Our Phones AT HOME. Spending more time with the loved ones in our home, and less time on social media, email and other distractions (thank goodness I deleted games from my phone years ago). In my case, I'm taking back motherhood!
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It's been proven that spending too much time on electronics (and social media) can cause depression and lower your quality of life (including your health). It's no wonder that it can affect your mood….not much gets accomplished on Facebook! Not to mention our kids get less personal attention when we are distracted with devices!
So here's the challenge. This post isn't about smartphones being bad, or getting rid of them by any means. They have a place and a purpose; the challenge is simply to use them less by following the tips below. I would love to get some other moms in on it! Lets inspire and motivate each other to greatness! If you decide to take the challenge with me, you can use this image below to share on social media and get some other moms in on the challenge! It may seem like a little thing, but you never know who you might influence to take on the challenge and better their family life in huge ways! You can also use hashtag: #TakingBackMotherhood
Taking Back Motherhood Challenge:
- Give Your Phone a PARKING SPOT. This means not carrying your phone with you all the time. For me, this means putting it on the charger in the kitchen. I also put it on silent so it's not going off with every notification. I always take it with me when I'm out and about, but when I'm home, it has a parking spot. I designate certain times of day for using it and for responding to messages, phone calls, and emails.
- Start tracking your phone usage with a goal to make it less. If you have an iPhone, you can go to settings —> battery and you can actually see what your usage is. This is when I officially had a wakeup call (don't judge):
Smartphones can be such a blessing, but really? Do I really need to spend over 3 hours on email, Facebook and messages? Probably not. My real wakeup call came one day when I went to check my email and it said “last updated 2 minutes ago.” and I honestly couldn't remember that I had just checked it!
Our brains are programmed to continue to do things that we have repeatedly done in the past. If we continually use our electronics and smartphones, our brain will automatically train ourselves to turn to them the moment we have any downtime! Have you noticed that? Maybe you are waiting in the doctor's office, or waiting in a line, or sitting down to eat some breakfast….does your hand automatically reach for your phone? (I know, I'm sounding like a real addict now.). Well if it doesn't, then keep up the good work! If this sounds like you, then join me on my challenge:
TAKING BACK MOTHERHOOD!
What other tips do you have for managing your time with your smart phone?
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Rachael Yerkes @ Eazy Peazy Mealz says
Hi. I’m Rachael. And I am a smart phone addict. To answer your question: None! That is the problem. I have no time management skills when it comes to my phone. Total addict. I half heartedly, knowing I may not succeed, but having good intentions take the challenge.