Welcome to the Pursue You Podcast, where we are empowering you to continually reflect, design and pursue who you were created to be so you can give the gift of your best self to your family, community, and business!
Let’s talk about screen time! No, I don’t mean for your kids...I mean for you! As a realtor for the last 10 years, screen time has been a huge challenge for me. I need to be by my phone for other realtors, for my clients, to monitor new listings, to reach out to a new client wanting to work with me, etc. And when I was on it 24/7, my business grew! It was this self-perpetuated addiction to my phone. Today I want to share with you some screen time hacks along with some perspective that I have found ultra-helpful as a parent and entrepreneur. My goal is that you’ll see that there are tactical tools and mindset shifts that, wherever you are with screen time, so you can feel confident that you are in control of how technology is influencing your life and how you’re showing up in the world.
[1:00] I start off sharing with you my story, and how I first realized I had a problem with screen time.
[5:30] Hack #1: Completely silence your phone. I talk about how removing the distractions of ringing, vibrating, etc will help you keep your attention focused where it needs to be. To hear more about how distractions, have a negative impact on your world, go back and listen to Episode 5: The One Thing.
[7:00] I recommend practical ways to implement hack number 1, and how to make it work for your specific lifestyle.
[9:45] Hack #2: Set an alarm to check your phone. I share a story about how a friend of mine was also looking to ditch some screen time and how setting alarms for checking our phone gave us more freedom and enjoyment with our families in the evenings.
[13:00] I share my advice and action plan for how to regularly implement an alarm schedule for your screen time.
[14:40] I talk about how you can implement the alarm hack into your work day as well.
[16:35] Hack #3: Carry a pen and paper with you. Sometimes the hardest thing is when you have good intentions and then something else sucks you into the black hole of screen time. For me, this is always adding a note in my task list. I share how I now write it on paper, making sure I remember, without getting distracted by other things on my phone.
[18:40] I challenge you to think about the one thing that’s pulling you back to your phone that just gets you started down the black hole of YouTube videos and Facebook. What are the things that you think will take a quick second and then suck you in?
[19:00] Hack #4: Take apps off your phone! What apps are you opening when you’re bored, or you get that feeling like you need to be on your phone. Those are the apps to delete. I also share other solutions for when it’s not practical to completely remove the app from your phone.
[20:35] Hack #5: Forward your phone. This hack may seem excessive or unnecessary for your current situation or job, but I share a lot of practical tips for delegating out your phone calls and voice mail. It is life changing!
[23:00] I talk about how to approach these hacks if you’re still feeling worried about missing emergencies phone calls, clients, etc.
[25:50] Hack #6: If you’re unsure if screen time is even a problem for you, I challenge you to use this week to see where you’re at. Use one of the many apps available for tracking screen time and app usage and see where you might need to change things up or what you need to do to maintain where your current usage.
Bottom line – phones are amazing, but for me and maybe you too, what we feel like is connecting us, has maybe we’ve taken it to far. We’ve crossed a line from connecting to being obsessed. I’m the first to raise my hand, and I say it with no embarrassment, I was actually addicted to it. While I had valid reasons in my mind for being on my phone, I was missing out on my life, I missed my babies, I felt unfulfilled, and I could never focus on where I was in the moment. I feel like I’ve come so far, and people are noticing that I can leave my phone places, and not be stressed and anxious about it. I hope you see that you can still be reachable, service your clients, be connected and be present wherever you are. I want you to reflect, design and pursue what screen time looks like for you when you are pursuing your best self.
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