4 ways to unplug

the little family and i just got home from a much needed vaca to good 'ole idaho, and man it was niiiiiiiice! the hubby wasn't worrying about his store (he manages one down here in NM), and i wasn't worrying about catching up on emails or designing any blogs. there was lots of family time, a ton of friend time, frozen yogurt, a hair appointment (eeee!), basketball games, snow, jambas, games, and laughing. all much needed. and like i said, one of the best things was that we weren't constantly on our phones or the computer catching up on dang work (sometimes we love it, sometimes we hate it, amiright?!).

even before this little trip, i have been thinking a lot lately about my internet usage and all the social media platforms that i look at, or don't look at every day. how much time do i spend on them a day? how many times do i check my phone for updates a day? for me, there's my email that i'm constantly trying to keep up with, then my Etsy shop, then Facebook, and you know i loooove spending time on Pinterest. oh yeah and i occasionally (okay rarely) look at Instagram (haha, yes i have an account but it has like 5 photos on it!). plus let's not forget the blogs i love to read whether family or friends or just ones i follow because i love them. it all adds up to a TON of time spent staring at a screen.

two of my main goals this year are 1: unplug more often and 2: prioritize my time better. yes, i need to unplug more often and not let myself get sucked into these things for more time than necessary. what is necessary? hah. is any of it necessary?(<<i just spelled that word wrong 3 times, wow i am bad at spelling!haha) well, since i'm not going to just up and delete all these beloved media platforms i just mentioned, i've got to find a better way to organize my time with them, right? right. so i have come up with 4 ways that have helped me unplug so far, and i hope they help you too. because dude, you need that break. take it and breathe! here they are:

1 ▲ don't go to sleep with your phone by you. i repeat: don't go to sleep with your phone by you! this is huge for me, and has already helped a ton (heck, i place my phone far away from me even when i nap sometimes!). every time i do keep it by me, i get sucked into looking at Facebook or Pinterest and i seriously just need to sleep. our bodies crave it! i turn mine on silent/vibrate and place it on the dresser across the room, or lately, even out on the kitchen counter so i'm not tempted to grab it, in the middle of the night, when i go check on Bronx if he cries. i know a lot of people use their phones as their alarm clocks, and i do too. so on those days (usually just Sundays for me), i do keep my phone by me, but still keep it on vibrate so i won't hear alerts or anything (the alarm will still go off at normal volume). or heck, go buy an actual alarm clock. they still make those i hear :)

2 ▲ pick a day to unplug. if you are really daring you can go cold-turkey and not look at any internet all day. but let's be realistic. choosing one or two to stay off of for a day is just as good in my opinion. i choose Sunday, and try to stay away from emails and Etsy. it's been good for me so far. i don't feel as stressed, and can focus my time elsewhere.

3 ▲ stay busy. this one goes along with my second goal of prioritizing my time better. before i go to sleep i will review in my mind what i want to get done the next day, what needs to get done verses what i want to get done, what errands i need to go do, and when i'm going to fit it all in. sometimes this is written on paper or my calendar, but as long as i have a schedule mapped out, i'll follow it (or try my best with a toddler in tow)! what does this have to do with unplugging? if i'm busy getting other stuff done like designing a blog, or exercising, or grocery shopping, i'm not checking my social media. i'm not getting caught in that "neverending scroll of death". haha, at least that's what my hubby sometimes refers to it as!

4 ▲ create "no-phone" zones. that may sound silly, but i promise it works! pick a place-the kitchen, the bedroom, the bathroom...(you get it!) and don't allow yourself to be on your phone there. i am really bad at this, but have been trying to be more conscious about it this month. for me, it's the living room in the morning with Bronx. that's our cuddle time after daddy goes to work, and i need to be better at soaking up this one-on-one time i have with him (only 10 more weeks until baby girl gets here!). another area for me is the kitchen. make lunch, eat it, and enjoy helping Bronx eat his...and dinner: place electronic devices in the other room, make dinner, eat together, talk together. (haha, okay i just read that back to myself and it sounds like we are robots or something. i promise we're not! we love our family time!)

so there you are. 4 ways to help you unplug and focus your time elsewhere and (maybe?) on more important things :) no one is perfect, and like i said, i work on all of these things daily! i think just being aware of our time and what we spend it on is a good start!


* how do you unplug and give yourself a break?