Independence Update
This is an UPDATE to a prior post. If you haven’t read why I turned my phone off for 3 days over the 4th of July weekend, check out that post here.
Well, I did it! 3 days with my phone off. If I’m honest, I did have to turn it on Saturday to text a stranger that her meat was thawing in my driveway (I’m a drop spot for a local rancher). I also turned my phone on Sunday evening to capture a video of my 180 degree firework view from my deck (and to have a long chat with someone special).
So, no, I wasn’t perfect… but I made up the rules for the weekend, so I can also break them! Ha
With that being said, I found this whole experiment to be super interesting.
The few times it was frustrating not having my phone on:
Not having Shazam to identify the song playing at the outdoor mall (I scribbled down lyrics and googled it later on my laptop)
Not being able to cool my car before I got back to it (first world problems)
Not being able to instantly deposit a check (I stuck it to the fridge to not forget)
Not having my music at the dog park or out on walks
Not being able to shop at Target (I exclusively use their app)
Not being able to do a few things online because they sent an authentication text
Not knowing what time it was. I did eventually put on my apple watch with do not disturb on so I’d at least know what time it was throughout the day.
What I enjoyed about not having my phone on:
I didn’t mindlessly refresh Facebook a dozen times
I never had to worry about where my phone was
I didn’t make an Amazon purchase for 3 days!
I didn’t live my weekend through the camera lens
Other things I realized:
The world didn’t implode when I didn’t instantly reply to text messages (all 105 of them)
I was more observant while out and about because I didn’t have my phone to hide in when waiting in lines
I don’t like the habit of waking up and scrolling
Being on my phone is a way of numbing instead of sitting in discomfort with my feelings
Not to say I went screen-free this weekend. I binged Mare of Easttown (so good) and it was one that I needed to pay attention to, but it was nice to have when I needed a mental break from the piles created in the process.
So, what did I get done? Not as much as I’d hoped, but I think I set the expectations far too high. What I was able to get through in 3 days:
Office and craft space cleaned and purged
Pantry tidied up
Under the kitchen sink purged and organized
Junk drawer organized
Mud room purge
My bathroom cabinets
My dresser
6 yard bags worth of trash gone! Dozens of emptied containers. Table and island full of items to donate!
Something very unexpected happened on Sunday. On Saturday I had my Amazon alarm set to wake me up for a workout class. I did the mud room, went to church, finished the mudroom and pantry, and watched up through the penultimate episode of Mare and went to bed around 11:40pm (not much later than usual). The next morning I woke up feeling good. Didn’t reach for my phone. I walked by my Alexa and did a double-take when the screen said 1:28pm. WHAT. THE. HECK?! I didn’t believe it and actually went and checked the oven and microwave. Y’all… I cannot remember the last time I slept past 7:40am and I slept in until almost 1:30pm!! I don’t even remember sleeping that late in high school. It was certainly frustrating to lose a ½ day of productivity, but I’m chalking it up to my body, mind, or soul needing the rest. I’m not going to beat myself up over it.
I still have projects to do around the house, but I do like the idea of going on ‘do not disturb’ for a few hours every day. It’s not practical to have my phone off because of work and kiddos, but I certainly proved to myself that I can detach and be alright.
My notifications Friday to Monday - lots of email lists to unsubscribe from!
