6 Ways To Get Away From Screens
One thing that’s crucial to Simple & Season is spending time away from screens enjoying the outdoors, learning something new and generally adventuring. Not that screens are bad, of course. They are great for learning and discovering, reading blogs and chatting with friends old and new. My days would not be complete with an hour or so of screen time.Where the balance is not quite right is when our phones become an extra appendage and we can't go a day without watching TV. Here are my tips for spending less time with your screens - your eyes and soul will thank you.
1. Stop turning on the TV
I got into a really bad habit of getting home from work and sticking on the TV as a bit of background noise as I had my after work snack (always crumpets, always amazing). The trouble was that the background noise ended up being 2 hours of me gormlessly watching television and there went my evening.As obvious as it may seem, making a conscious effort not to turn on the TV resulted in me getting a lotta sh*t done. I learnt I didn’t need background noise for my five minutes of hunger-quenching. It helped me enjoy my food more mindfully (mmmm, oozing butter), and then I could crack on distraction-free.
2. Plan your time
This ties in with my Happiness Planner post from a few weeks ago. When I started scheduling my evenings I found I didn’t miss TV or constantly refreshing Facebook as I was busy doing far more interesting things. Over the last month I have done so much more with my time. That’s not to say I’ve become a social media hermit; I simply do all my checking as a sort of treat after I’ve finished my to dos.
3. Turn off social media notifications
Newsflash: you don’t need to be contactable at all times. Really. I don’t have any notifications for any of my social media networks - not that I am in anyway inundated, but even the few I get are pretty distracting. As a child of the MySpace generation when you only got to see your notifications when you were allowed on the family PC after finishing your homework, I really hold on to that Christmas morning feeling of going online and seeing how many notifications you’ve accrued throughout the day.If anyone really needs you, they’ve got your phone number. As my best friend demonstrated when she text me to reply to the hedgehog video she’d sent me on FB 18 minutes before.
4. Unfollow
I am rather keen on this William Morris quote: “Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful” (see 4 Quotes for Inspiration). True dat. Here is a similar mantra: “Follow no one you do not find inspiring, or who does not make you feel good”.As we change as people, we should also change who we follow. If following models and celebrities is making you hate your muffin top, unfollow them and follow a load of great local bakeries. Follow people whose lifestyle inspires you, whose photos are beautiful or who post about opportunities you can take advantage of. Anyone else is a waste of your precious time.
5. Discover a new magazine or book
Use your screens for good and find something new to read. Your favourite Instagrammers and bloggers are good places to look for inspirational magazines. Head down to your local bookshop and buy the first thing that grabs you, or ask bookworms you know for their recommendations. When you get stuck into a book your screen time automatically decreases, but be conscious to take it out with you so you can read it on the train rather than scroll through your screen. To get started, have a look at my inspirational reads or the last book I read.
6. Go out and about
Take yourself out on a walk and make a point of taking time to listen to the birds, smile at passersby and watch the wind rustling the leaves. Go out for a dinner with friends where none of you Instagram your plates but just wet yourselves with laughter. Get outside and recharge yourself while your phone does the same back at home.