20 Things You Can Do To Stop Looking At Your Phone
Anyone who spend only a little time with me in the last few years knows I never put my iPhone out of my hand.
I'm constantly answering messages, liking stuff, taking pictures (okay, selfies), looking something up, replying to comments and basically ineffectively busying myself.
I know it's not good for you, but when did that knowledge ever stop me from doing something? (I'm looking at you Ben&Jerry's Half Baked)
So long story short, I wrote myself a list of things to do when I realize I've spent too much time on my phone and need a change of scenery! I don't even have to think, just look at this list. It's scary how well I know myself sometimes...
In any case, I thought I'd share it with you, just because I think I might not be the only one with this problem. Am I? Please don't let me be the only one!
- Read. Instead of refreshing Instagram one more time at night, unwind with a good novel. (Quick tip: the bluish screen light of your phone or computer signals your body to be alert because it resembles daylight. So instead of getting drowsy your body goes "Weeeeeeeeh, I'm awake!")
- Go for a walk/ run. It's a good idea to look up once in a while and take in your surroundings instead of having your eyes glued to your phone.
- Meditate. Or stare into nothing and daydream. It might be hard at first because your not used to entertaining yourself for any amount of time so start of with 1 or 2 minutes and ease into it before you rush of to catch another Pokemon or reach the next Candycrush level.
- Excercise. It's supposed to be good for you. But please don't download an excersice app and stare at your screen while doing squats. That kinda defeats the purpose.
- Hang out with friends and family. You can even agree to all leave your phones in your pockets so everyone can stay present and enjoy the moment. If you're stumped for what to do, don't google, look around you and try boardgames, chat or go to the museum.
- Paint/ Play a music instrument/ Craft. In short: be creative and see where it leads you. You can only try it for 15 minutes and sketch your coffee mug on a post it note with a ball point pen. And it's ok if you suck. But if you take away 15min each day from browsing Facebook to building a new skill, guess what you can achieve in a few month?
- Clean/ declutter. Take 10 minutes to just get up and clean the first thing you can find. It gets you moving and you accomplished something in a short amount of time.
- Write a handwritten letter. Old school and kinda romantic. Who would deserve something rare like this?
- Cook. Instead of snacking the next best thing you can find while watching yet another Youtube cat video. Take the time and cook a decent meal. Bonus points if you also stay away from electronic devices while eating.
- Do your nails/ take a bubble bath/ use a facial mask. In short: treat yourself. It can be as short as flossing and as complex as a mani-pedi with 10 gazillion topcoats and a hot stone massage at a local spa.
- Try a new thing. Remember that odd Christmas gift you got? Now it's time to either inspect it for it's usefulness or toss it for good. I still have an ice cream machine around here somewhere and I never allowed myself the time to use it. Tragic!
- Work. Most people can get a shitload more done when they are focused on their task instead of browsing social media. Shocking, I know. so put your bb into flight mode and maybe use the Pomodoro technique for awesome time management. You can look at your phone during break as much as you want and you'll be still done before anyone else!
- Listen to music (and maybe dance through the room). Okay, you might need your phone for that, ain't nobody got a CD player laying around no more. But you don't have to look at your phone to hear the music. Dance like nobody's watching.
- Do riddles/ Sudoku/ brain jogging games. You can train your brain to be better instead of hanging over your phone like a mindless zombie. 'Nuff said.
- Write a short story or even the novel you've been meaning to for years. Or just let everything that is on your mind spill on the page without judgement. You can even set yourself a timer for ten minutes and not set the pen down before the time is up. Helps wonders with overflowing heads and anxiety.
- EFT (emotional freedom technique). Take one thing that bothers you and just tapp it away (Youtube has some decent tutorials on that one). Helps with those memories where you embarrassed yourself once that keep resurfacing.
- Drink a glass of water or go to the bathroom. Take care of yourself! I know you needed to go for the last hour, but were putting it off for one viral video after another. And no, you can not take your phone with you. Jeez!
- If you have a hard time letting go of your wondrous world of screens then at least watch Netflix on a decent sized TV or play a video game on your xbox instead of straining your poor eyes! Also, if you look at your phone screen with one eye open while lying in bed you can go temporarily blind. Not kidding. Google it.
- Play with slime or make your own. It's all the rage right now and weirdly satisfying.
- Color. It's the new form of meditation or so I've heard. So get yourself some nice coloring pencils and maybe print out a Mandala and welcome to adult heaven for the next 30 minutes.
- BONUS: Nap. If all else fails, napping is the only solution. Just lie down and close your eyes for 20min. Trust me, it's better than coffee.
Go on, put that phone down now and explore the real world! But not before you subscribed to my Artletter :D
I promise I only send you happy little colorful snip bits that make your day more artsy!
