Go screen-free for 24 hours

Go offline to feel like you have more time

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.
Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Today's tip is to try going screen free for twenty
four hours. We spend a lot of time on our
phones and devices, but consciously taking a break can be

(00:24):
eye opening and kind of well fun. Thanks to Apple's
screen time feature, I've realized over the past few months
that I've been spending an increasing number of hours per
day on my phone, often mindlessly. I texted my husband
and babysitter and a few friends, and that's all great,
But every time I pick up the phone to look

(00:44):
at my text, I wind up looking at other stuff too.
Random comments on an article Twitter, coronavirus headlines that I
don't need to be following. Even checking the time, or
the weather or my steps winds up triggering a cycle
of looking through social media feeds. Looking at the phone
also becomes my default for when I'm feeding my baby,
and that adds hours too. The baby feeding time is

(01:07):
what it is, but the rest of the time is
harder to justify. It doesn't work to ignore the phone,
so instead I've been trying to leave my phone elsewhere
for periods of time when it's okay. For instance, when
I went for a walk recently with my parents and
my kids, I couldn't really imagine that anyone else would
desperately need to reach me, so I left the phone.

(01:28):
On a recent beach vacation, I would leave the phone
at the house. When I was with my family on
the sand, I couldn't pick up the phone in a
moment of boredom, and so I looked at the waves
and it felt more relaxing. Of course, the phone is
incredibly useful, as is my laptop, but given that we're
all going places less frequently these days, this might be

(01:49):
a great time to try not using it for a while.
What would happen if you park the phone somewhere in
your house and go screen free for a few hours
or even a full Today's challenge is to give it
a try, maybe over this weekend. Maybe take a quick
look in the morning to deal with anything. Then turn
the phone off or put it somewhere to charge. Don't

(02:10):
turn on your work laptop. Tell anyone who often reaches
you by phone that you'll be off for a bit,
just so they're not concerned. Then see how it goes.
There are definitely moments of boredom, but when there's no
easy way out, you figure out something else to do.
I stare at the sky more, and it's hard to

(02:31):
tell yourself that you have no time when you're staring
at the clouds. Truth is, though, just about any time
I'm reading headlines and feeling like I don't have time,
I could have been looking at the clouds, I always
had the time. I generally just try to go screen
free for a few hours, which I think is better
than nothing. You can check in mid day if you'd

(02:52):
like to, or go to the evening and then check
in if you're brave, twenty four hours. It's definitely doable
over a weekend, as long as you're not trying to
coordinate complicated plans. Plenty of people already tone out for
religious reasons, and they seem to do just fine. I
know some people take occasional week long completely off screen vacations,

(03:12):
but that's never been practical for me since I'm often
texting to coordinate with family members. But this doesn't have
to be all or nothing. Just try being off for
a bit and see what happens. If the world doesn't
fall apart, and it generally doesn't then try again. You
just might enjoy it. If you try going screen free

(03:34):
for a day or a few days, or at least
a few hours, let me know how it goes. You
can reach me once you're back on at Before Breakfast
podcast at iHeart media dot com. In the meantime, this
is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making the
most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear

(04:00):
from you. You can send me your tips, your questions,
or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook
and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod that's B the number four,
then Breakfast p o D. You can also shoot me
an email at Before Breakfast podcast at i heeart media

(04:20):
dot com. That Before Breakfast is spelled out with all
the letters. Thanks so much, I look forward to staying
in touch. Before Breakfast is a production of I Heart Radio.
For more podcasts from my Heart Radio, visit the i
heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to

(04:41):
your favorite shows.