How much screen time did you have last year? If we took the time to evaluate how much we look at our screens, we’ll be able to see how much time we waste. Instead of spending more time with our technology, we suggest disconnecting for a more fulfilling life. In this week’s Wildwood Park Apartments Blog, we’ve got a few ways you can more successfully disconnect from your devices!
No Phones in Bed
Getting quality sleep is crucial to enjoying your life. One way to get more sleep is by removing the phones from the bedroom. The allure of the bright screen of your device is snuffed if it’s not present. No more checking your phone at 11 at night only to find yourself still awake at 3 in the morning after having spent the hours on Instagram, Facebook, and other social media sites. If you use your phone as an alarm, we suggest charging your phone out of reach at a spot away from the side of your bed. Making it a chore to check your phone will help you reduce your screen time at night.
Leave It at Home
This is one of the hardest tips on disconnecting. We’ve become so accustomed to having our phones with us insomuch that the thought of being without is scary. We justify having our phones with us constantly by saying we need it in case of emergencies or if someone wants to find us. Though there is truth in those justifications, it would do us good to leave our devices at home when we’re doing small chores like checking the mail. As a workaround for having a means of contacting others, if you head out with a friend, let the people you would contact normally know that you can be reached via your friend’s number. This way, you can enjoy time with your friend without constantly checking your phone.
Make a Game out of It
When out at a restaurant with your friends, you can make a game out of disconnecting from your devices. When you enter the restaurant, make sure everyone takes out their device and places it in the center of the table. The stack of phones should not be touched until the meal is over. To make it more interesting, you instate a consequence for the people who grab their phones! A popular choice of consequence is making the losers pay for the meal!
Do you have any tips on disconnecting? Share them with our Arlington, VA apartment community! Thanks for reading!