Nomophobia: fear of being phoneless. Anyone come to mind? I’m guilty as charged, working for a busy global video production company with clients in cities from Seattle to Shanghai and everywhere in between. We understand the need to be connected but it doesn’t mean you can’t take a quick time out. Technology tends to be the controller of our lives. From the moment I wake up (from an app that sets off my alarm), till the minute I go to bed (app that plays wind-down tunes) my life is consumed by technology.
There is life between Wifi signals. I promise.
I’ve searched the internet and put endless tips to the test. Here are the 5 best that I’ve found to help you disconnect for the world and reconnect with yourself + others.
5 tips for unplugging:
1. Airplane Mode: No service? No problem. You can’t waste endless time on social platforms when you can’t connect to them. Airplane mode is a way to create your own dead-zone, anytime any place. This is a great habit to incorporate in your daily lives, socializing with friends, dinners with family, etc. Check out this video to see the benefits to dead zones 🙂
2. Phone-free morning: You need to take time off the grid. Why not start your day with this? Get a jumpstart on having a productive day. Get in a good sweat session, nice cup of coffee, house chores, etc. This can be a great way to start with a fresh mind and not waste moments in the morning scrolling through social media. Spend your mornings screen-free and feel more accomplished even before the start of the workday.
3. Delete the Distractions: Outta sight, outta mind. You can’t subconsciously click on your apps when they aren’t there. It’s a good thing to do from time to time if you really need to buckle down and avoid distractions. Whether you are studying for a final or trying to hit a deadline at work you can get that urge to take a ‘5 minute break’ that can turn into 45 before you know it (thx snapchat stories). So don’t even risk it- I swear you won’t miss much.
4. No phone zone: boundaries need to be a thing. Place the phone away from the bed. Extra plus: you have to get out of bed to turn off your alarm (snooze button no longer an option)! Screen time emits light to keep you up (que the late night, early morning, 3 cups of coffee before 9:00 a.m. routine that I may have fallen accustom too). Leave your phone on a dresser or outside the room so you resist the urge to reach for it, and get some Zzz’s.
5. No to Notifications: Shut off not only the phone but the mind too. Do you really need to be the first to like the newest Instagram post? I don’t think so. It disrupts your concentration from what’s important to what’s irrelevant. You may not even be hooked on social media, but how can you not look down at your phone when it’s buzzing 24/7? Say bye-bye to the notifications and hello to the concentration.
Trust me I get it, your cellphone feels like the glue that holds your life together but if you take a break once in a while you may be surprised at how much more connected to everything else you feel.
Written By: Grace Jenkins, Snippies Intern
