Seriously though, do you ever take the time to unplug? We live in a world where everything has to be “Instagram worthy” and every picture taken has to be posted. Why not just take photos for the sake of keeping them or for putting them in an album or whatever. Why does it always have to be shared with the world? I know I am of the generation that is supposed to be obsessed with this, but it baffles me. This is why I can step back and say you know what I took this picture for myself. For me and only me and if I don’t wanna show anyone, then that’s my prerogative.
Why Should You Unplug?
I went 1 year without posting to Instagram and it felt great. Taking the time to unplug helped me focus on the present, and live life “off the gram”. But, the longer it got, the harder it was to post. What do I post as my official re entry into the social world? Nothing was good enough. Now, I feel that when I do post I know that it will be worth it. It will be only for the important things rather than getting that perfect latte shot. It will be of meaningful things I want to document. Things that are truly important rather than posting just for the sake of postings.
Mind you, while trying to create this brand it will be the ultimate challenge to myself. Social media marketing dictates specific rules and guidelines to succeed and grow. You should post daily to gain followers, post quality content, make sure you have a theme and etc etc. My challenge will be to do all those things, but still be able to take a step back. Still be able to live true to my values of not being controlled by social media. Still taking the time to unplug once a week as needed.
Anyways, not everyone will think like me but at least take some time to disconnect if you are able.
First thing in the morning, don’t reach for your phone. Unplug for an hour
Now, if you are like me and use your phone for an alarm, don’t worry. Just shut it off and put it back away. Now, next step is a bit harder. I usually try to go at least 1 hour before looking at my phone. This means do something else for that hour. Read a book or magazine, make some breakfast or coffee, have a shower or do whatever it is you like to do first thing in the morning.
I find that if I don’t look at my phone, I can be so much more productive. Mind you, I am a book lover, so I find it very easy to sit for an hour and read without touching my phone. And, yes I do this even on the days I go to work. I just wake up at 5:15 so that I have at least an hour of reading time before I actually have to start getting ready. I used to wake up later, but then I couldn’t put my book down, wanted more reading time so decided to wake up earlier.
There is something mesmerizing about phones that you can get caught up in that social media endless scroll or any other apps you may have. I find it so time consuming that if I start, I lose so much precious morning time. When I don’t look at it, I can fit a whole morning routine inside that hour, so by the time I pick it up to check the weather, it’s time to go.
Throughout the day, put your phone on vibrate or silent, Unplug for the day.
Listen, no one likes that team member who can never shut off their phone and it pings all day. Just switch it to vibrate and put it in your bag. Focus on work. If someone really needs to get a hold of you, they can call the office. But, don’t make everyone think every time your phone goes off, it’s an emergency. My biggest pet peeve is when people at work can’t stop being on their phone. Just put it down or at least silence it so everyone at the office doesn’t have to hear it.
To be clear, I am more referring to the personal phone use at the work place, and I am not talking about having to be on your phone for work related items, but I think you got my drift.
Now, if you are at a job where you need your phone for work, no problem. Try when possible to switch to a laptop or desktop computer, but if not, at least take a walk outside and take lots of breaks from the screen. It can be very exhausting for our eyes if we stare at screens all day at work, then switch to our phone after work. If possible take breaks in between and do other tasks that don’t require looking at a screen. There was something I heard somewhere that every hour, you have to look at least 30 meters away for a few minutes to give your eyes a break. This helps to relax our eyes and focus on something at a further distance away.
In the evening, put your phone away 1 hour before bed. Unplug in the evening.
This one I have been pretty good at actually following through as well. At first it was hard to resist scrolling through social media sites while I was lying in bed, but the best way to help this is to plug your phone in across the room before you get in bed. This way, you will be so cozy in bed, that you won’t want to get up and grab it if it goes off. As I mentioned before I am an avid reader, so I will always appreciate the extra reading time in bed. I will have another post about what books I read in the morning vs nighttime to help me fall asleep vs wake up as there actually is a difference!
Anyways, this also includes watching TV. I try to stop watching TV as well 1 hour before bed to give my eyes rest from the screen.
Now, I know you may think that reading a book is the same distance as a phone, but screens emit a blue light that actually suppressed melatonin production in the body. Melatonin is the hormone that gets released to relax your body and get you tired and ready for bed. If this hormone is suppressed, you won’t get tired and are able to stay up later. This is why you can easily stay up late to binge watch your favourite tv show or browse the net all night without feeling tired.
I have taken years to hone in on this skill that I have programmed my body to fall asleep at 10 pm every night. This does take time but within a few weeks you can program your body to fall asleep at whatever time you choose. Just create an evening routine which I will talk about in another post as well. Still working on perfecting mine, but I will share my thoughts and how hard it actually is.
Overall, Unplug Yourself Regularly
That’s it for now. I recommend trying these 3 techniques to see if you can resist the urge to grab your phone as soon as you hear that familiar ping, and also to help curb this addiction we all have with our phones. Yes, I am addicted to my phone as well, but this time I choose to control my addiction rather than let my addiction control me. Remember self care is important too. Unplug yourself.