I love spending time in Dwellingup, an old growth region in South Western Australia. It’s one of my all time favourite places that I have been going to since childhood. My soul thrives in a place like this. It's such a wholesome place where you're surrounded by great company, food, icy swims in the river, all of the nature and activities, with the kids running free, a glass on wine in hand, watching a mesmerising fire pit. My favourite part is there is sketchy/no phone service.
I have been missing the days circa 2006 where all I could do on my Nokia was call and text. And actually this phone was broken so all I could do was text. I've thought about getting a dumb phone recently but it’s not really practical at the moment with a small business and young family and I do love having access to music, meditations, notes and maps. I'm just not a fan of using this one device for everything. And have been caught out multiple times when the phone has died. There is so much more sensory richness to analogue tools like a camera, record player and clock. Although I'm not a fan of clocks either but that's a blog for another day.
Anyway, I’ve been practicing screen free time and I’m thoroughly enjoying it. With a small business it can be hard to get away from tech and it’s ever more important to have solid boundaries so here are some tips to really get your head out of your phone if you'd like to join me. My brain is loving it. Hopefully yours does too!
Screen Free Tips:
Step 1. Plan ahead of the day. That way you’re less likely to fall into old habits. Pick a day that you don’t have essential work to do. I like Sunday.
Plan some activities you like to do while keeping a little white space in your day for chill time. We had the kids swimming lessons in the morning, and went out for dinner in the evening. Is there a book you want to read? Have a nap? Get some sunshine / out in nature? Grab a clay kit here if you've been looking to get your hands into some therapeutic and fun clay!
Make a note of what you use your screens for (call, text, music, maps, meditation, clock, tv, calendar, camera, whatever else you use it for). Do you need to allocate half an hour to respond to calls/texts or can they wait for the next day? Where will you draw the line?
Is there any other equipment you might need like a timer, notebook, camera etc. Decide what you’re limiting. All phone use? Tv? Laptop? iPads? Anything else?
Step 2. Turn your screens off. Put a post it on them if you think you’ll automatically look without thinking. It's only one day. You can do it!
Step 3. Review how you went and whether you would change anything next time/week. What is it your reach to your screen for? Boredom, connection, or any of the apps you require? Are there alternatives? How did you feel having a break? Did you fall back into scrolling accidentally? Don't beat yourself up just get back on the wagon.
I personally love it. I feel like my day slows down and I get time back. I end up doing activities which are actually enriching rather than mildly satisfying. Let me know how you go by responding to this email. I'd love to hear!
Meg Xx
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