Summary: Here's the wedding photographer rant I talk about in the beginning of the show. Image Credit: Thomas Stewart Photography (view article here) Do your kids find your phone and say "here's your phone mommy?" Real eye opener - my kids probably think that my phone is a part of my being. And that brought some tears to my eyes. How often do we do that??? We take all the pictures to post on social media but we aren't actually PRESENT in the moment! Here's your big swift kick in the butt... grab your phone. Settings > Battery > Scroll down to see last 24 hours or last 7 days. It will show the activity base don% of battery usage, tap "show activity" and it will switch from the % to showing you in actual time during your day/week how much time you've spent in each app. Add up all the time you spend in your social media apps. Shocking, right? Even if you're good and only are on your phone an hour a day... in 7 days you've spent 7 hours. And in another 17 days you've spent an ENTIRE DAY on your phone in social media apps. Think about the time you could be spent doing the things you say you don't have time for - bible, church, working out, reading to your kids, keeping the house clean. If you read to your kids one hour a day instead of being on social media with virtual friends in one year you would have spent 15 days reading to your kids! And over a course of their time in your home you would have spent a total of about 9 months worth of hours reading to your kids before they graduate and move out. Now, if you put that in terms of social media if you ARENT spending that time intentionally then you're spending NINE MONTHS OF YOUR CHILDRENS LIVES on social media. I am NOT condemning anyone... this is because I've got a problem with it. I'll admit it. It's not a shiny perfect person thing to say... but the first step to making a change is admitting you've got a problem. Now, I've done this before. I get real good and intentional but then I get lonely, or bored, or tired and mindlessly scrolling becomes more and more of a habit - but these are the times we need a swift kick in the butt... so here we go! Practical ways to cut back the phone time and simplifying your phone usage. Settings that help Spend some time simplifying the social media and removing excess apps deleting people that you don't associate with anymore or don't even really know. Unroll. me - app/website Organzie your icons into folders - if you have to seek out an app to find it it will make you less likely to open it so often. It's some sort of psychology. Most of our scrolling and app usage is mindless, our thumb knows where that Instagram icon is... and it's a magnet! Turn off all of the notifications this one I'm a huge fan of. Think about it, we're in a world right now where the people who are the most important to us (in the moment or completely all the time) are pushed to the side because of a noise on our phone. With the notifications (noises, badges, banners) all turned off you won't be notified every time you get an email (which is probably spam) or a text (which might just be an emoji). I don't know about you but my ability to pick up the phone read the text and stop there went out the window a around the iPhone 3. I pick it up, check the meaningless text, then get on Instagram, Facebook , check my email, get lost on google. Then all of the sudden I've wasted 15 min of my life and told my kids to "hold on" 6 time.. because I'm mother of the year. Use Siri or Alexa more regularly - to ask questions instead of searching google or your calendar which then can spiral into a scroll fest. Keep it in silent Turn on grey scale in accessibility, display accommodations, filters. Do not disturb from 2 hours before bed to 2 hours after your normal wake time. Make a no phones in the bedroom, bathroom or kitchen rule. Get an ACTUAL alarm clock so you can charge your phone in another room. Carry a book or magazine with you Use a real to do list, or create your morning routine and vow to not pick up the phone until you're done with the routine or daily tasks. Set a reading goal. Pick up a hobby that is kinda mindless - coloring, knitting, crocheting, cross stitch (which I can never figure out how to do) Apps to help Download an app called "Checky" that will log how many times you pick up your phone. Set a goal to decrease by 5 every week until you're ok with how much you pick it up. Set goals for usage and check in regularly. Check in every night on how you've done. Download an app like "moment" - it tracks usage but also you can set time limits on each app. Is this something you struggle with? I think in this age we all do, but its great to be able to step away and take a break from it all and be more present in the moment! Let me know if you take a refreshing social media break! Don't forget to hook up with me and some other mamas! My Instagram and Facebook pages @HolyHotMessMom our exclusive mama Facebook group - HolyHotMessMamas Holy Hot Mess Mamas Closed group · 5 members Join Group This is a place for encouragement, advice, sharing stories and continuing convos all things Holy Hot Mess Mom & the Holy Hot Mess Mom Podcast. Got a ... If you're looking forward to more episodes then hit that subscribe button so you get notified every time we release a new episode! As always, if you've got ideas of topics you'd like to hear on the podcast please email me at podcast@holyhotmessmom.com
