Home sweet home!
Or at least what I’m assuming will be home sweet home since it’s currently Monday afternoon and I’m writing this on the plane ride back, hoping that all goes well.
I kid, I kid. I don’t actually have any sort of fear of flying to speak of, but I do have 6.5 hours to kill so I figured it’d be an awesome time to chat. Not that I don’t like chatting with you guys when I’m not crazy bored and flying through the air in a metal tube, but… oh you know what I mean. I love ya and I’ve missed ya. For reals.
The break was definitely nice, though… even if it did take me a few days to unwind and actually start enjoying it. At first it just felt strange to be so disconnected from the world. I didn’t have a wifi connection anywhere except for our hotel room, which meant that I spent about 90% of my day “offline.” No blogging. No texting. No checking e-mails [way too many times a day]. No Instagram. No Facebook. No Google… No constant buzz or ping of something that needed my attention. Heck, most of the time I didn’t even bother bringing my phone with me since my DSLR took better pictures and my phone just ended up being dead weight.
There was nothing but the “here and now,” and the “here and now” was pretty darn incredible…
So was the forced disconnect (after I eventually got used to it). It made me [grudgingly] realize that I maybe, probably, kind of, sort of spend way too much time online, and that it’s probably not in the best interest of my physical or mental health to do so. I’ve read all about the importance of disconnecting countless times, but it took an extended break to make me realize how bad I was at actually doing it. Oops.
I used to be really good, though! I’d power off at a certain time and keep my evenings free, or make sure that I took regular breaks throughout the day. But I’ve been slacking lately. I’ve been staying plugged in later and later, and I’ve made a nasty habit of constantly checking social media when I’m supposed to be disconnected. The result? More lack of focus, fatigue, and burnout than I’d like to admit.
So I’ve made a goal and a game plan! The goal? To disconnect more often. The game plan? These 5 steps…
Have a strict cutoff time of 8 PM.
No ifs, ands, or buts. Not only do I sleep better when I’m not trying to jump straight from the computer into bed, but having the evenings free will help me relax and unwind. I’ve been using “work” as an excuse to stay plugged in later and later, but I know I shouldn’t be. The majority of my work does require a computer, but the problem is that I spend too much time wasting time. Which is why I need to…
Stop multitasking.
I used to think that doing a lot of things at once would help me finish more things faster, but the opposite is actually true. The more I attempt to do, the less I get done and the more scatterbrained and inefficient I feel. The more ADD I feel, too. I have a nasty habit of trying to: write a post, comment on blogs, edit pictures, check Instagram, browse the web, study, and who knows what else all at the same time. Not good. Not efficient. Pick one thing, finish it, and move on to something else.
Limit checking e-mails to 2 or 3 times daily.
I also have a nasty habit of checking my e-mail way too many times a day (read: every 15 minutes). Very distracting… And it’s especially bad because I’ll end up answering them in my head but not in actuality, which causes them to pile up. Oops. I need to set specific times to check and answer e-mails and limit it to that.
Put the phone on airplane mode for 2 hours a day.
… whether that be in the morning, evening, or randomly during the day. My phone is a huge distraction, and I find myself checking Instagram or Twitter way too often (see multitasking). Putting it on airplane mode helps remove some of that temptation to check, which is always a plus.
Don’t check the phone first thing in the morning.
Just like having a strict cutoff time at night, I want to start implementing a stricter “start up” time in the morning. I used to do some journalling, meditating, or stretching to start the day, and I really miss those quiet times. Now the first thing I do is check my phone or turn on the computer, and it doesn’t set as good of a tone for the day.
. – . – . – .
It’s funny. It’s so much easier to know what to do to stay healthy and share that info with other people, but it’s a whole other thing to actually implement those actions yourself. I do have a lot of healthy habits, like eating a diet rich in whole foods and staying active, but I’m definitely not perfect and this is just proof of that.
I feel like life is all about constantly reassessing your behaviours to make sure they’re serving you well, though. Whether that’s re-examining your relationship with exercise or making tweaks in your diet by adding or subtracting certain things… It’s important to have that self-awareness so that we can feel our best.
This post is part of Udi’s Gluten Free Health and Wellness campaign. Grab more health tips or learn more about living gluten free by visiting Udi’s Community page or following them on Facebook!
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Udi’s Gluten Free. The opinions and text are all mine.
I can relate 150%, Amanda. I’ve “unplugged” in the past for short terms (as in, when I was forced to unplug during a hurricane blackout), and it’s actually quite liberating. In general, I always feel like I NEED to check email, social media, blogs, etc. But there are no rules for that. Giving up music and Instagram for Lent have helped me to focus more, but Facebook and email still call to me…
Multi-tasking is also the death of me, so I will work on that as well. Thanks for the kick in the pants 🙂
It’s like you read my mind. I do almost all of the same things you do. I have so many bad habits I am trying to break, especially checking my phone the second I wake up. Like I actually don’t get out of bed until I check all my messages and clear all my notifications. I’ve also been having a really hard time sleeping at night and I think I can blame it on social media. I will just lay there and scroll and before I know it, it’s two hours later than I wanted to get to bed. I use my phone as my alarm so I think I will be setting it and then leaving it on my dresser so that I can’t reach it from my bed. Hope it works!
Good luck!
Love this! Last night before yoga the instructor and I were talking about a book, Power of the Now. It might be something you would be interested in reading.
I’ll check it out. Thanks, Jill!
This is something I really struggle with. When I’m playing with my daughter, I try to leave my phone in another room so it doesn’t distract me but I’m always afraid that I’m missing something. Amazing pictures by the way!!
THOSE PICTURES ARE GORGEOUS!! WOW. And unplugging is something I definitely need to work on doing more often….this list is a great place to start! Thank you.
So, I read this post like 4 hours ago and forgot to leave my comment because I was multitasking (strike #1). Then, while I was reading I decided that your first point made complete sense and I should give myself a cutoff time of 9pm…it’s now 10:37pm and I’m still working. (strike #2)
Clearly, I need to learn how to spend more time in the here and now, so I’ll try again tomorrow haha
If it makes you feel any better, it’s currently nearing 9:30 and I’m still working as well 😛
I too, need to do this more often. I was good about not checking right when I wake-up, but I’ve been bad. I like the shut down at 8PM. It’s so sad, the last thing and first thing before bed, is reach for my phone. I need to disconnect. The other day I truly contemplated if I was addicted to my phone. In all seriousness, it’s not an addiction (don’t want to mock anyone or anything), but it is something that seems a little out of my control. Your post made me remember that I should try to be more cognizant of my use of my phone/social media! Thanks! xoxo, ganeeban
Those pictures are beautiful. I like to disconnect at night usually by reading an hour or so before sleeping. It’s nice and I’ve read a lot of books so far this year because of it. I also gave up Facebook for a few days, I think during the Super Bowl because I live in Washington and was just 100% done with hearing about the Seahawks. I didn’t miss it at all. It was nice to get away from it, really.
Oh man – it must be a bad sign that all of those steps you have set out for yourself sound absolutely impossible to me. I can blame some my technology dependence on being swamped with school and away from home, but not all of it! I think I am going to force myself to stop working at least one hour before bed, and do one non tech / work related thing first thing in the morning.
Setting those boundaries definitely helps! And I feel like it makes you more efficient as well since you know you have less time to do something and really need to buckle down.
Unplugging is SO important. I love going for runs without my phone, because it’s just me and my running shoes on the trail, with no bother from the outside world. Oftentimes I’ll get home after an hour or two and take my time to check my phone, and realize it’s not as if any urgent calls or texts or e-mails came in – so I should be able to limit my “checks” to just a few times a day even if I’m not out running! It’s tough to impose that on yourself but it’s my new goal. I used to shut down entirely around 8/9pm, but now I have an iPad and read books and the newspaper on it…
I definitely spend way too much time using technology as well and it’s something that I know I really need to work on. I think, like you’ve said, the best thing to do is set specific times when you do X, Y and Z online and commit to putting electronics away after a certain point. I am really horrible about starting to write a blog post, getting sidetracked by something else, and waiting until later in the evening to go back and finish things.
Definitely guilty of that as well. I can literally write a post all day, but in little snippets. Like… 5 minutes here… 2 minutes here… 10 minutes here. It’s horrible and makes me feel like I do nothing but work 😡
Your pictures are beautiful! It is always nice to unplug for a few days.
You pictures are just beautiful. If I was going to disconnect I sure would want it to be here. I too know I have some bad habits about this. I do need to get a game plan to be better organized and have a schedule to complete all the things I need to do. I have used the “airplane” mode on my phone and wow it does help. I only do it for 30 minutes or so but it helps me complete the tasks at hand, like my real paying job….. 🙂
Well now this was an incredibly refreshing read. It’s so easy to get caught up in work and the feeling things have to be done or else…. The interesting part is the ‘or else’ isn’t real or it’s simply self created pressure. I found when I really stopped and explored the ‘or else’ terrible things wouldn’t happen if I didn’t finish x,y or z in my preset time frame. Learning to adjust my ‘or else’ perception really allowed me to loosen up on self created pressure, which ultimately allowed me to work better because I wasn’t crazy stressed. Cheers to you and this post.
Welcome home.
Cheers to the cutlery back in the set.
<3 That's what life is all about, eh? Facing those fears and realizing that nothing bad happens as a result. I'm definitely getting there, but it's way too easy to fall back into bad habits. That's where good friends come in handy ;)
Those are really good goals to have! I recently have deactivated Snapchat, personal Twitter, and I have deleted Facebook off of my phone. It really is refreshing to not be so caught up in social media all of the time. I’m so glad you had a nice time! The photos are gorgeous!!
Isn’t it crazy how much of a challenge it can be to disconnect unless an outside circumstance forces you to do so? I don’t think it’s even so much of a conscious decision to be plugged in as it is an unavoidable reality, since SO much of our lives/world have to do with the Internet and staying connected. Obviously you don’t *need* to know everything going on in everyone’s life or in the world at every single second, but when that’s the primary way to be in touch, it’s hard to remember that. BUT when there’s so much life to experience around you, it really shows how worthwhile it can be to step away from everything else going on in the world and pay attention to what’s happening right in front of you 🙂
I definitely think you’re right about the unavoidable reality part… It actually makes me kind of sad to think back to the simpler days where 5 year olds weren’t rocking cell phones and people actually talked to each other and hung out “in real life.”
Wow! Incredible photos! I’m glad you were able to end up enjoying your time unplugging. It’s definitely tough at first, especially when you’re used to be SO connected to everyone and everything all the time. I think creating boundaries for yourself is crucial. I have to take a step back and remind myself of them occasionally, but they really do help!
So much truth to this! Disconnecting is hard and since I’ve started blogging it’s gotten really bad. I’ve finally gotten to a point where on the weekends I only check my phone once or twice. I need that time for myself. We all have things we can work on. You’re definitely not the only one in that arena!
Blogging has definitely made it 100x harder 😕 It was kind of amazing to see how much more free time I had to do other things when I wasn’t constantly working on some aspect of blogging…
I feel like I could do most of those, but the checking my phone first thing in the morning would be a tough one. I feel like it is Christmas and WHAT PRESENTS DO I HAVE?? I may need to calm it down a little bit.
Those pictures are absolutely breathtaking. It really makes me want to go to Hawaii. I’m with you on needing to focus on the present. I use my runs to 100% unplug for an hour a day and I try to read at night (but they’re usually still articles on thought catalog or elite daily) instead of scrolling through social media. I used to use my summers on the boat as a way to unplug and focus on living life in the moment but I don’t have that anymore as a way to disconnect from the rest of the world so I need to make a more conscious effort to include it in my day-to-day life. I’m glad you enjoyed your trip and were able to focus on living in the moment rather than on your phone! It’s something a lot of us definitely struggle with.
I love the idea of using your runs to 100% unplug. I was actually thinking about leaving my phone at home whenever I go to work out because I’m SO guilty of slacking and constantly checking my phone 😕
My favourite thing about vacations is going unplugged. But it is so hard to break the habits at home. I think I need to start setting up some rules like this for myself as well. I like the no multiasking because i’m the same way. I have 100 tabs open on my computer at once. It’s ridiculous!
Very cool ideas, I am going to try these because I am 100% guilty of checking my phone first thing or having about 2.3 seconds of time between when my computer closes and when my head hits the computer.
Gosh, I feel like I have become more ADD in last few years, thanks to technology (and my overuse of it). I hate that about myself! I look forward to the day I am out of school and don’t have to spend as much time on the computer- hopefully I will turn it on much less!
I definitely know what you mean about the ADD! I feel like I have such a hard time focusing on one thing because I’m constantly trying to do ALL the things, and it’s going to be a really hard habit to break 😕
I was thinking about doing a “Tune Out Tuesday” on my blog…seems like we’re in agreement with the whole technology thang!
All wonderful tips, amaNda! I try to multitask too much too and Get really scattered…I find it doesn’t help at all. Did you find A lot of inner peace on vacation?
Definitely. And I think that not having the constant distraction of the phone and computer really helped.
Great tips, Amanda..and so glad you had a great vacay!! Like you said, disconnecting is much easier said than done. However from April onwards, I’m travelling quite bit and my blogging will probably take a backseat–> I want to use my extra free time making memories with those around me rather than sitting behind a laptop!
Can’t get over how stunning Maui is – that sunset!!!
Definitely agree with you there! It’s just a tough thing to balance out when so many more aspects of our lives are online now! It makes me wonder how much worse things are going to get…
I have been working on that cutoff time too! Right now I am down to just watching tv, but eventually I would like to end my night reflecting on the day or reading or something that does not involve technology 🙂
This is all so true! I need to stop checking my email so much….who do I think I am?! The only time I took an extended break was when I went to Puerto Rico in the fall and it was magical–I’m already looking forward to it again this year!
I feel like it’s SO hard to disconnect unless I’m forced to, which is really rare. I’m glad you had that opportunity on your trip because I know it really does make a difference in mental and physical health, I can FEEL when I’ve been online too much! Interesting how this is a big and pretty new health issue for many people, I wonder going forward how it will affect us collectively.
I was just thinking yesterday how I have gotten out of the habit of turning my phone off and quit looking at it. I used to stop around 8 or so, and now I Just continue until I go to bed. I know my sleep has suffered because of it. I need to get back to reading before bed, and not picking my phone up right away when I wake up.
You and me both, girl! Definitely try setting it to airplane mode — it actually helps a lot!
I’m with you on having a cutoff time! Riley likes watching TV at night, so I take my book into the bedroom and spend at least 30 minutes reading every night and I fall asleep much easier that way.