Good morning! Happy Wednesday! Today I wanted to share something I’m doing over on my Instagram and Facebook pages- December Digital Detox! Sometimes our phones can take over our lives and we don’t even realize it! I was in London last week for a vacation and realized how much I relied on my phone to make me feel comfortable. When I was lonely or by myself I would reach for my phone to feel connected. I also would spend my evenings “scrolling” instead of spending time with my husband or being productive at home. I’m sharing 5 reasons that I’m doing this detox and hope you will join me! It would make such a difference in your holiday time! Don’t let it pass you by- truly soak up the time and memories.

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5 Reasons you need a Digital Detox:

1. Detox from Social Media

Social Media can be great in so many ways from health inspiration to growing your business but it can easily become toxic. I really started this digital detox mostly because of social media “scrolling”. I tend to open up Instagram or Facebook during down time or free time and scroll my feed instead of being intentional with my time like reading a book or working out. Social Media has so many benefits but I don’t want to let it take over my time. I have added restrictions under the iPhone Settings “Screen Time” to 1 hour for Social Media a day.

(Pictured Below, after 1 hour of use- it locks unless you tap on it and it alerts you that you are out of time. You can add on an extra 15 min or remove it for the day.)

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2. Detox from Phone Use

I am putting my phone on its charger from 7pm-7am everyday to keep from using it in the evenings when I could be spending it with my husband or with friends. I also want to use the 6am-7am hour for my “miracle morning” and if I open my phone first thing it’s easy to get sucked in and waste time on it. This will keep me more productive and focused for the day.

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3. Be Present with Loved Ones

I noticed over the Thanksgiving season how me and my family would all be present with each other but also be on our phones. It’s totally okay but it also doesn’t show yourself to be present in conversation. I want to be intentional over the holiday season seeing family and friends that I don’t get to see often and give them my full attention. Obviously our phones can be a connecting point too. My sister and I spent a long time laughing so hard we cried at cat videos on Instagram (we are weird haha) so this is a great way to incorporate social media and be present at the same time. Just don’t isolate yourself and be unapproachable because you are always on your phone.

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4. Less Comparison, More Personal Connection

It’s easy to compare ourselves to others and I think that is at an all time high in our world today. No one sees the bad days or the stressed out moments on social media- we see the good days and the happy moments. We all have them and unfortunately that’s not portrayed in most of our accounts so it’s easy to compare our lives to someone who is jet setting around the world. But instead of comparing- make a connection. Ask your friend who just got back from a trip to go out to coffee so you can hear all about it! See a friend working out and want to work out too? Ask if you can join her next time! It’s all about connecting and not comparing.

5. Take Back Your Time

This is HUGE. I have been wasting my time on social media and on my phone in general. I want to be intentional with my time and not use the excuse “I don’t have time for..” seeing as I spend hours on my phone. Now, some of this is productive and some of this is intentional connection but it’s also time wasted.

You can see below that I was spending close to 5 hours a day on my phone. Most of it social networking! Like I said, it can be beneficial. It can be growing your business. But are you being intentional with your time? Don’t waste it as we are only given so much time here and I want to make the most of it.

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So are you in? Do you want to finish out 2018 with a digital detox? Comment below and join me! I will be checking in weekly on Instagram and Facebook so pop up over there to follow me on the journey!