While going through the lessons of Hot Mess to Home Success from the Busy Budgeter I took a hard look at my phone usage. While being home during a pandemic my phone usage increased exponentially. I found I was on my phone roughly 2.5 hours a day! In one week I spent 11 hours on Facebook and I picked my phone up over 300 times! Needless to say, that is absolute insanity and I seriously got nothing done. At least nothing productive that moved me closer to any goals I have. In fact, being on my phone that much caused me to have increased anxiety from all the COVID news I was consuming. I was also sleeping horribly. I decided to do something about it. Read my post, How I Am Creating More Time To Do What I Love to see what steps I took to decrease my usage. In one week my phone usage decreased 67%! Here’s what happened when I got off my phone:
- I was able to look at my children and notice how they are feeling/navigating this crazy time of COVID-19 and help them navigate their thoughts and feelings.
- I was able to focus on my work and what I had to get done.
- When I sat down to work I was productive and moved through my to do list.
- I could concentrate on doing things that GIVE me energy such as working out, getting out in nature, meditating and reading.
- I could SIT in my thoughts and feelings without ignoring them and numbing out on my phone. I could then work to process them.
- I eliminated the impulse to pick up my phone every time I wasn’t doing something or as a strategy to avoid something I didn’t want to do.
- I stopped caring what the latest COVID numbers are. I also realized I gain NOTHING by obsessively checking on that via my local new app.
- I stopped consuming COVID news altogether and I didn’t miss anything.
- I could pay attention to my family, listen to and be with them.
- I became happier and lighter.
- My impulse to pick up my phone and “check” it constantly disappeared.
How often are you on your phone? What’s the first thing you go to when you pick it up? Is it serving you to spend that time on your phone or are you numbing out on it?