Recovering from Burnout Series- Strategy 3: Calm the Noise

When my niece was little, and I was on my phone instead of paying attention to her, she would take my face in her little hands and turn it towards her so I would give her my undivided attention.  I’ve realized in this journey that I need to take my face in my own hands and quit distracting myself from the attention needed to regain health.

Sometimes we have to calm our environment down to have the space to make room to gain the resilience we need to live the life we want. Presently, the devices we have in our lives can add so much noise that we don't have time or space for anything else.

Our devices are supposed to be tools to help us run our world better. So many times I have felt like my phone or computer is somehow controlling my world.  I've come up with some strategies to calm the noise and take back the reins of when and where I spend my time, starting with my devices.  My suggestion is try these one at a time and see what works for you.  Or, use these tips as an idea generator for ways that might work better for you and your needs to implement calming the noise in your life.

Tips for Calming the Noise:

1. Plug your phone and other devices outside of your bedroom at night. This may involve buying a clock for your bedroom if you want to see what time it is during the night.

2. Erase apps off your phone that you find yourself mindlessly scrolling through on a regular basis.  It takes a bit longer to go through the online platform instead of the app, and when I have erased these apps, I find I go on the social media sites less than usual. 

3. Set certain times in your day or week to check emails and social media. One friend has a reminder on his phone letting us know he only checks his emails a certain time each day. 

4. Leave your devices intentionally put away when you do certain activities.

5. Choose a half-day or day that you turn off your devices and live screen free. Some call this a technology sabbath, others call it a technology fast. Whatever we call it, it seems difficult at first, but I have come to enjoy the time away from my technology. 

Notes in the Margins: 

1. What is a strategy listed, or not listed here, that you are going to choose to calm down the noise in your life? 

2. I suggest you write the strategy down and set a definite time frame for when you will implement this strategy.