On Off-lining
I'd gotten into this bad habit of late of using my phone too much first in the morning and last thing in the evening.
Somehow I'd slipped into this sub-optimal habit of reaching for the phone in bed as soon as I woke up and checking various things: Email, Whatsapp, Ecency (of course), the blog states, my news feed and then just idly scrolling through this on repeat for up to 30 mins at a time.
Probably the worst habit was taking the lap top to bed and checking my SPS rentals - it can be tough getting a 0.05 DEC per SPS rate, it can require a bit of persistent refreshing!
Oh and Discord of course!
This is all instead of getting out of bed in the morning and meditating and well, just going to bed and actually just sleeping in the evenings!
Book, pen, paper - replacement habits!
So a few days back I did the old strategy of putting the phone on a shelf away from my bed and instead I took a pad and paper to bed and a book.
I did want a good old Buddhist classic but I don't have any with me, they're all stored still, but I did find this:
Henry David Thoreau's Walden. I've never actually read it, so I started, and this is a great book that suits my mood. Nothing like a bit of mid 19th century critical thought to calm the mind.
You may have heard of him. He spent a couple of years living by himself on Walden Pond, 'living life deliberately'. In one chapter he outlines how every couple of days he'd wander into the local village to listen to the gossip, which was refreshing in 'homeopathic doses'.
I love that idea... and just think about how it applies today, where all you need for the gossip is to switch on your phone, and yes, that piece of tech is definitely better switched off for long periods during the day!
And I actually wrote this post on a pad with a pen a few nights ago, I'm just relaying it now.
NB I don't mind screens and checking feeds during the daytime, it's 9.41 a.m. ATM and that's fine - I'm out of bed, dressed, coffeed, having had two initial hours with no screens, much more balanced.
So I've only been doing this a few days now, and you know what it's great....
Space and Time 'open up'
It's a weird feeling, I've done this sort of thing before, off-lining, but I feel more profoundly than ever a slowing down, a calmness, even thought there's shit going through the surface of my mind.
Maybe it's because I'm a little bit older now, I don't know.
But just little switch of having a good couple of hours in the morning, and then a good hour at the end of the day sans screens, and TBH more no-screen gaps during the day and LESS checking of feeds has calmed me down no end.
I'm going to say it's been a real boon for my mental health, not that my mental health was in a bad-state anyway before, but this time around the benefits feel even more profound.
I'm gonna switch my phone off for the whole day on Sunday!
It is obvious that smartphones have become indispensable in our daily life.
Your commitment to furthering this practice by turning off your phone for a whole day is inspiring. This serves as a great reminder for all of us to prioritize our mental well-being and occasionally disconnect from the digital realm.
I'm currently a few hours into Sunday and the phone is firmly OFF! So far so good!
One of my favorite books! The first time I read it while in uni I wanted to go live in the woods myself for a few months. I still feel the urge sometimes. Thus far a night or two camping is the closest I've ever gotten.
Anyway, Enjoy it!
I do love a bit of 19th century mooshing! A few nights camping is getting there!
Man, this is just what I needed to read today :) I think I'm gonna start putting it further out of reach too, 'cause I'm kinda slipping into the same thing and don't like it.
Hi...whenever you check back online :)
Ah I'm glad it inspired you! I'm not actually off-lining altogether - just keeping the phone at a distance, it's been off for the whole day already, so far so good, let me know how it goes!
I've also been thinking about my screen time lately and I've been wondering about which activity is a better replacement for it. I think I'll try this routine too and see how it goes in a week's time.
Pretty much anything, I've found reading books and writing on a pad to be a great start!
Some people spend a large amount of time in front of a screen...probably far more than some and it's changed who people are to some degree, their attention span, how they communicate, prioritise, plan and act among those changes. I'm not sure if it's a good path. It's nice to see you've put the phone down for a little while and picked up a book, I believe that we should all be doing that more often.
Thanks for this reflection and all the best with the phone on shelf time moving forward.
Becca 🌷
Having left my phone off all day today it's certainly something I'll carry on doing.
I'll probably switch it on when I start work tomo check everything then switch it off, maybe have a quick check midday and then early evening.
But off for the most part.
Whatsapp is the biggest barrier, if I'm in a convo with someone I've sort of got to leave it on, but I'll figure out a way to manage it!
That's a good plan I think. if something urgent comes up you can turn it on and attend to it however I have a suspicion that you will find you'll choose not to the more time passes. It's just a habit I suppose, constantly checking it and something people have trained themselves to do over many years since the adoption of mainstream mobile phone usage.
When I'm at home I leave my phone in another room. If it rings I rarely get to it in time and that's ok, I can always call back if I need to, then or later. We all probably need to be better at determining what needs immediate action and what can wait.
You're on a nice journey I think and will probably feel better for it.
Becca 🌷
Yeah I've switched it back off again for the rest of the day now I'm back from my voluntary work!
Good strategy leaving it in another room!
The screen has taken most of our time and this routine you just shared is like a hack. A hack to getting free from the screen for some time. Thank you for dropping this out ☺️
It's ironic reminding people of it on Hive, but there you go, it's a good practice, living life with less screens!
It is happening in the same way with all the people, every human being can not live without his mobile either in his heart or at night. If you want to talk to the world, the mobile phone has eliminated one thing that when someone was visiting, they used to gossip with each other, now everyone is busy with their mobile phone.