Today I want you to listen. Really, really listen. I want you to understand how every five little taps on your cell phone to check and recheck your emails, and to vent with your friends, are all missed opportunities to connect with your husband, kids, and home. If you have that little nagging guilty feeling deep down and know I’m talking to you then maybe it is time to break up with your phone. Today I’m going to be giving you three easy steps on how you can break up with your phone so you can love your family more AND get more time back as a busy mom. I know you want this so let’s dive in.
Listen below for the entire episode on The Systemize Your Life Podcast
I want you to understand how simple it is to change your habits with your phone and still have a place inside that digital world that lights you up. Inside the Systemize Your Life Academy I teach you holistic home management. In there I show you how you can use systems in your home and business to manage your time so you can have more connection with those that matter most.
I get how hard this is. I struggle with the entire concept of breaking up with my cell phone. My online community, team, and friends, are very important to me and I have figured out how to navigate my online community and the tangible gifts in my life that I have been given to care for in my home and family. So I’m excited to share with you three steps I have used and you can use to break up with your phone and get your life back.
1. Detox
This is the hardest and most important one. If you only do one of these today, make it this one. Detoxing with the habits you have created with your phone really is quite simple. The way to detox from this is to quit cold turkey. Like you’ve gone camping and you just don’t have the service.
How I recommend handling this is to delete all your apps, especially the social ones, for at least one week if not two weeks. Make sure to delete Pinterest too because that’s where you will go when your social apps are gone. You don’t need to give an explanation to anybody. You have your computer, you don’t need these things on your cell phone.
If you do this I promise you, you will view your life differently and the next two steps will seem like cake. It’s like a bad relationship where it only makes it worse if you prolong the breakup. Rip off the band-aid and you will be so glad you did. Here are some things that go along with this.
Practice leaving your phone in the other room. This is for the detox period. Set up a time to check your phone in the morning and evening or just once a day. Be thinking in the woods, no service. I know people need to get ahold of you. Put your entire phone on focus mode and only let maybe your husband or mom get ahold of you. When my husband is working at home sometimes I just ask him to keep it and hide it from me.
Look at where you need to begin for your level of detox. Maybe you’re not super addicted to your phone and you’re already keeping it out of certain time blocks. Maybe you just need to delete certain apps. Alright, here is number two.
“I love what our phones provide for us, I really do. However, they are not supposed to be a device that is using you like a tool.”
2. Your Plan of Use
This is what you do to help you keep your boundaries with your phone and continue to love your family. Our phones are tools we can use to create extreme efficiency in our lives, network with people around the world and create online businesses. I love what our phones provide for us, I really do. However, they are not supposed to be a device that is using you like a tool. Establish what times of day or spaces in your home or both are no phone zones. Then you’ve got to stick to it.
By Space
If your no phone zones are limited to certain places in your home then it doesn’t matter what time of day it is. Get a basket that is out in a communal place in the house, such as the kitchen table where everyone will put their phones. I highly suggest this for children and to include all electronics. As a work from home mom it is easy to bring your work with your laptop and phone into these spaces that are meant to be for connection and rejuvenation.
By Time Block
I love to do this by time block right now because our kids are not old enough quite yet to own screens. If you are doing your time blocking and know your fundamental needs you will quickly see where and when you do have time for your phone.
If your time blocks are a mess and you don’t know what your fundamental needs are come to get support either inside of our free community and keep gobbling up all the podcast episodes and blog posts or come join us inside the Systemize Your Life Academy where we have it all laid out for you.
This plan needs to be written down. It needs to be ingrained in everything you do. You can write it down inside your paper planner every single week. Now the third and final step to break up with your phone and to get your life back.
3. Maintain
This is really simple, all the work has been done, just stick to your plan, then check in with it every day or every week. You will know when you need to reset. There will be that voice of guilt, probably like you are feeling now but you are so far down into that black hole you just don’t know what to do with it.
If you know you are getting sucked back in, do another day or two detox. I used to just make weekends, routine detox days and I recommend deleting apps on weekends if those are the days all your family is home.
Another great way to have maintenance is to leave your phone at home when you go out. I will almost always bring my phone for safety reasons if I’m going out of the house alone with my kids but sometimes I’ll live that daring life like we used to live and leave the house without a phone.
Stick with it!
We used to know how to live without our phones and I tap into that a lot. Please know every single one of these moments with our family and kids matters. Please don’t detox for a week and then go right back to all of your old ways and habits. You need to maintain. Set up a new way of living with the teeny tiny world inside your phone. It feels amazing to get your life back and truly be in love with your family.
I hope you run with this more than any other post that you have read here because it truly will change your life and give you so much time back. Until next time, I hope to see you over inside the Facebook group!
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find the perfect paper planner?
I love planners! My very favorite planner is the Dream Planner from Horacio Printing. It’s perfect for time blocking and even walks you through setting up your fundamental needs. It’s simple and beautiful. You can also check out my post on paper planners to help you find one you that is perfect for you!
