Did you know that we touch our phones, on average, 80 times a day? Yikes. It’s true, we’ve become a slave to our devices – I know it’s the first thing I reach for in the morning before I even get out of bed to brush my teeth. And what’s worse, is that we see little kids already addicted to iPads and mobile phones. What’s worse is, we don’t realize the damage it does and the little things we miss out on from choosing to wake up next to our laptops instead of taking a minute to enjoy the early dawn or appreciate the person sleeping next to us.
So if you’re anything like me, who has promised to slowly wean myself off of being so dependent on technology – I practically jump up whenever I hear my phone ring – here’s a week’s worth of little changes you can make so you can make the time to reflect, pause, and not be bogged down by trivialities of friends’ status updates and other people’s IG posts. I don’t see myself getting rid of all my lovely gadgets that make living in this technologically advanced world so convenient, but I do plan on lessening my screen time to get more time enjoying the outdoors and connecting to people in real life, too.
Monday | Unfollow people on social media who aren’t your real friends, unsubscribe from unwanted email lists, and delete apps you don’t use.
The first day of the week is the perfect time to declutter. This may take up a bit of your time, but really, how many people do you actually know, like, and interact with on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram? I’ve seen friends who rant about how everyone on their social media feeds are so negative, not realizing that being exposed to all the negativity is a choice. If you still want to opt to have them in our life but would rather love them from afar online, hit the unfollow button. Same goes for decluttering your email lists (I don’t need the daily consolidated NAVPS report, I don’t understand it, but thank you mutual fund company!), and if you have an app on your phone that you haven’t opened in over a month, guess what? You never will. So delete that and enjoy the smug satisfaction of a lighter, clutter-free phone.
Tuesday | Turn off push notifications.
I remember once, I was in a really important meeting pitching to a client when suddenly, my phone just kept on dinging non-stop, only for me to find out that all my characters on my Simpsons: Tapped Out game had finished their jobs and I was getting notifications for me to get back in the game. Embarrassing. If this has happened to you too, make it a point to go through your phone, tablet, and laptop, to make sure all push notifications on all devices have been turned off. It’s such a liberating experience, having a quiet phone that isn’t constantly beeping, dinging, and vibrating with unneeded alerts and updates.
Wednesday | Resist the urge to look at your phone the first thing in the morning.
Admittedly, this is the hardest for me to do, because it’s become so automatic. The first thing I usually check is my messages, then my inbox, then Facebook – my source of crowdsourced news. Instead of waking up to your phone screen, take at least five minutes to slowly open your eyes and take in the light, sink into the softness of your bed and pillows, and appreciate whoever it is you wake up next you. In my case, that’s giving my four-legged furbaby his morning dose of hugs and kisses. After a good morning stretch, I sit up, and meditate quietly for around 20 minutes to ground myself before my day officially starts. The only time I turn to my phone or iPad is to open my Spotify as I go to my personal mantras and meditations playlist to play Jai-Jagdeesh’s Ek Ong Kar Sat Gur Prasad kundalini meditation mantra to help me get into that attitude of gratitude in the morning whilst I get on with going to the loo, brushing my teeth, and putting the coffee on whilst I get breakfast on the table.
Thursday | Set up a charging station outside of your bedroom, and don’t look at your phone or laptop and hour before going to bed.
You know that you’re addicted to your gadgets when you take them to bed with you at night. I thought I was being “productive” before I’d go to sleep when really, all I was doing was keeping myself up at night, surfing the net or busying myself with online shopping. And then I would wake up exhausted the next day, the alarm being set for 5am, 5:15am, and 5:30 to be extra sure I hear it and don’t ‘accidentally’ hit the snooze button. The solution to a better night’s sleep and stress-free nights? Charge all your devices in the other room and buy an alarm clock! I finally look forward to crawling into bed at the end of the day and read an actual book to help me relax before I turn off the lights and doze off. With my phone outside of arms reach, I don’t have the itch to look at it and wake myself up with the unwanted screen glare.
Friday | Go out to dinner, and leave your phone in your bag.
It’s Friday night, and getting dinner with the girls or going out with the mates to celebrate the weekend is part and parcel of avoiding the dreaded Friday carmaggedon in Metro Manila. But then we also constantly fall into the trap of looking towards our phones for conversation instead of present company. It’s become so automatic for us to pull out our phones after our server gets our orders, and we pass the time before the food arrives by answering emails or browsing on social media instead of connecting to the people that are physically there.
Saturday | Spend the day not looking at or posting to social media.
How hard is it not to look at your social media posts? Not too hard, after your turn off your push notifications, as it turns out. What I realized was that I felt that I had so much more time during the day, running errands, pushing out content for the various publications I work for, and getting a lot of traction with the online courses I had signed up for just because I wan’t looking at my phone every five minutes.
Sunday | Turn off your smartphone for the entire day.
Sunday is definitely my favorite day of the week because it also happens to be the quietest in my world. Wake up to an actual alarm clock (or sleep in – it’s a weekend after all!) and just for one day, leave your phone, tablet, laptop, and desktop to one side and go out and enjoy the day. An ideal Sunday for me would be waking up and starting the day with a delicious meditation, taking the dog out for a morning stroll and getting in a yoga session at home before tucking into a healthy, colorful smoothie bowl. Most of my afternoon would involve getting lost in a book and replanting seedlings in my garden or going out to explore what else my city has to offer. At night, I’d cook a big dinner for myself and a few friends who would usually pop by, enjoying the company an conversation, making for some lasting memories to tide me over ’til the next get together.