Well folks, I am in week three of my digital declutter and I can finally say, it feels really, really good. I feel like the tables have turned and I now have the upper hand over my phone. Gone is the urge to constantly reach for it. I feel content with checking my phone occasionally and not letting it dictate my day. I also feel content with not having my phone on me 24/7. For the last month or so, I have started leaving my phone at home when I leave the house; such as going on walks, daycare drop off/pick up, Target and grocery store trips. At first, it felt like I was leaving the house naked, but now, I don’t think twice about it! Gone are the days when I mindlessly scrolled my phone while waiting in a check out line. Now I take in my surroundings and am content with just waiting.
Here is what I have learned/gained during week three of my digital declutter:
My mind is becoming decluttered and my anxiety is down. This week, I have noticed that my mind is much more clear. I have also noticed that when I choose to check my phone, I do it mindfully, which I never did before. When I check my phone, I started intentionally doing so when I knew I had time to fully dedicate. What started intentionally, now feels second nature. Think about how many times you instinctually grab your phone when you are in the middle of something and truly don't have time to even respond to the text you are reading or voicemail you are listening to. It is so much more satisfying to read that text or check that voicemail when you have 100% of your attention dedicated to it and have the time to respond.
I am becoming content with doing “nothing” and embracing boredom. I am a busy bee at heart, so this has been a huge accomplishment for me!
I thought I would get all these things done during the time I used to spend on my phone, but instead I am not getting any of it done and I am completely ok with that! Before I began my declutter, I created a list of things to do in leu of screen time. I have accomplished zero things on that list and I am weirdly ok with this! I have reflected on what I am doing with the time I used to be looking at my phone. Answer? Being more present with myself, my surroundings, and my family. It feels great!
I have more time in my day. As cliché as it sounds, I have much more time on my hands and the days seem much longer. In reality, I have freed up a good hour that I used to spend looking at my phone and probably much more time that I spent thinking about my phone, reaching for it, etc. I took my time back and it feels great!
This past week I have finished some amazing books, including Betty by Tiffany McDaniel and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab Two very different books, but both were five stars for me. (You can check out my review for Betty here and my review for Addie will be coming next week.) I also am working on catching up with ARC reviews and have one coming for Lisa Jewell's latest, Invisible Girl.
I am #currentlyreading: Saving Ruby King by Catherine Adel West and gearing up for next week's festivities. If you celebrate Christmas, I hope you have an amazing holiday with your loved ones. We are menu planning and making it special for our household. Nothing compares to the sound of the boys' excited little feet running to our room on Christmas morning, squealing that Santa brought presents and ate the cookies they left out. I want to bottle that moment up!
If you ever want to get ahold of any of the books I write about here, check out my Bookshop.org shop here: https://bookshop.org/shop/mynightsbooked. I have lists by genre of all the books I have read and reviewed, plus my all time favorites list. Bookshop.org is a great company, as they donate a portion of all sales to a local indie bookstore. If you order through my shop, you are supporting my favorite bookstore in my town, Chapter2Books. It is owned by the sweetest couple, Brian and Sue, and I have become such a regular that I often stop there just to chat with Brian to see what he's been reading. #shoplocal
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