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Friday, February 1, 2013

No Phone Zone

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Josh and I have discussed cell phone usage in the past. When we go on vacation we don't use our phones. We leave them in our room or take one (turned off) with us when we're somewhere we may need it for an emergency. The first time we ever had a no phone vacation was on our honeymoon. I would turn my phone on at least once a day to make sure there were no emergency voice messages and then turn it back off. We did the same thing on our past two trips to Florida.

Our family hated it. I find that we enjoy our time so much more by living in the present.

I will admit that it is hard for me. I find myself itching to check my notifications, but once I'm far enough away from it and can forget it, it is an extremely freeing feeling. I love not feeling weighed down by my phone. Joshua is the complete opposite. He loves being without his phone. Loves it. I think the only time he uses his phone is when he wants to use the internet.

I have always hated when people will hold phone conversations when there are other people in the room, but when I think about it, checking messages, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and whatever else is out there is not any better. We're distracted.

I've been thinking off and on about how to manage my connectedness with the baby. For a little while I was very focused on increasing my blog traffic and spent quite a bit more time working on my posts and planning content. I don't know if it was a phase or what, but it was fairly exhausting. I like blogging. I do it for fun, not for work. And I do it for me, not for anyone else.

Today I was reading Nurse Loves Farmer and she wrote a post about Hands Free Parenting. The post the inspired her post is How to Miss a Childhood. I encourage you to read both of those posts.

Reading these posts has really convinced me that I need to have a plan for phone free times. I think turning off notification tones and only keeping my ringer on in case someone needs to call me will help me prioritize. I want to make a commitment to live presently with my family. I don't ever want my children or husband to feel less important, but I'm already guilty of doing this to Josh. However, this morning there was an incident near our house and I wouldn't have known about it if I hadn't had my phone on me. So I'm conflicted on how to handle my phone. Obviously it isn't going to be an all or nothing transition, and it will be super handy to have around to snap quick photos of the baby.

The only place to go is forward. So if you don't hear from me immediately, don't take it personally. I'm living.


8 comments:

  1. I 100% understand and agree with this:

    "I don't know if it was a phase or what, but it was fairly exhausting. I like blogging. I do it for fun, not for work. And I do it for me, not for anyone else."

    I was just thinking that yesterday when I Realized I hadn't updated this week and had been on such a roll.

    B and I designate certain time phone-free times. This helps. I find the more we have of them, the less likely i am to jump and respond to a text or email. We often keep ours on us for phone call emergencies and things like a camera or carb tracker (he's a diabetic) if it's a new food, or runkeeper when we're out hiking or walking, but we don't respond to texts or notifications and it feels good. So hard at first to see it flash and ignore it, but so much better now without it so often.

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    Replies
    1. I'm hoping to get to that point where I really don't care. I'm thinking that my priorities will change a lot once the baby arrives.

      Keeping up with blogging isn't really something I'm good at. A lot of people can do it consistently, but I'm not one of them. :)

      Delete
  2. My family would never allow a phone free time. I am an only child (and grandchild) and I talk to my mom and grandmother AT LEAST twice a day (that is twice each, not total and on the weekends it is more like 3 or 4 times each) so I fear they would pack up and drive here if I didn't answer or call back after a bit. I just taught my mom to use pinterest, and now she likes to call to ask if i saw what she pinned. I kid you not. She isn't very technologically advanced. The other day she pinned Elf on a Shelf ideas. She told me it was "for later" and I got scared.

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    1. I know where you're coming from. I was raised an only child (my brothers were born when I was 18 & 19) and my mom and grandma are in constant contact. They HATE when I don't answer the phone, but I think they've gotten used to it. They talk to each other at least three times a day. I hate talking on the phone.

      I've been trying to teach my mom Pin, but she just doesn't get it. NO ELF!

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  3. I forgot the other part of my comment- Since the hubs is doing school 24/7 and I have no friends in Jackson, social media is my only contact with people... DON'T LEAVE SOCIAL MEDIA I'M LONELY!!!!!!

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    1. You're cracking me up. I'm not abandoning you. I'll still be around...just not as quickly. :)

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  4. I am horrible about my phone, it is just a regular cell phone with no internet access or anything and I will often forget it in my coat pocket and not remember for a few days and then it is dead! It drives my mom crazy but I just am not into it but Fredrik on the other hand is always attached to some sort of device and so we have no devices for dinner, movies, shows we watch each week, or when we play games.

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    Replies
    1. I wish I could be more like you, and less like Fredrik. :)

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