It is the start of a new year and all my feeds are busting out with tips on how to stick to NY resolutions, what resolutions to make, go meatless, do more yoga, more HIIT, quit diets and so on…
Don’t get me wrong some of the content out there is really great and is raising awareness on key topics. But it gets lost amongst all the clatter and the noise: leaving us confused and overwhelmed.
I don’t know about you, but all I want to do is to switch the phone off and ignore it all together.
Technology is meant to make our lives easier, but how is that working for you?
Is technology making you feeling stressed? Is it affecting your personal relationships? Is making harder being productive or feeling good about yourself?We shouldn’t let the flow of information control us, or overwhelm us or, even worse, making us feeling bad; distracting us from who we truly are and what our purpose is.
When we tune in all the time we lose sight of what we should concentrate on.
My first tip for 2019, is to make your own strategy on how to make technology work for you.
Here is a list of things you could do to get you started:
1. Set boundaries
For instance using phones during meals doesn’t improve the conversation, so make a rule to turn the phones on airplane mode whilst eating.
Is reaching out for the phone the first thing you do in the morning? Perhaps set up your bedroom to be a phone off-limit area and invest in an alarm clock (yes, they still sell those!).
2. Save the good stuff
On the other hand there are mindfulness apps and exercise videos on Instagram or Facebook that can keep us inspired. Rather than wasting time scrolling through your feeds make a list of your favourite accounts, go straight to their profiles, save the videos you are interested in and come back to those when it’s time to workout. Do the same with recipes and motivational accounts that might keep you inspired.
3. Look at the stats
Most phones have now an application so you can see how much screen time you are having during the day. Those will also break down the time you spend on social networks, on utilities apps and so on. Sometimes is good to see those to actually see how long you look at your screen and if you could spend that time otherwise. Maybe there is a book that you have been wanting to read for a very long time and you kept postponing? Could you read a chapter instead of looking at strangers stories?
4. Set reminders
Feeling anxious by all the list of things that you need to remember to do? That’s when your phone can be your best friend! You can quickly make a to do list on the notes app to declutter your mind and set reminders.
I personally like to be reminded about the things that inspire me, so I had my phone programmed to show me my top 3 values every morning. It helps set up a purpose for my day and feel a little more motivated.
5. Organise
Use the calendar to schedule exercise time, meetings and work commitments, cooking meals, and social events with friends.
Every Sunday I try to take 10 minutes to look at my week as whole and plan ahead, so I know exactly when and where I need to be and how busy I will be/when I can dedicate some time to myself. Don’t get me wrong, the latter is still a work in progress, but I feel I make little improvements every week.
