Screen-time rules: Good for kids, why not us?
If you're anything like me, you might have a problem with being glued to your phone. Most parents will regulate how much screen-time they give their kids, yet as adults, we don't put any thought into moderating for ourselves. Throughout the past few years, I've gotten more and more obsessed with my phone; using the false assumption that, "It keeps me connected with people" when in reality, it makes me disconnect from the moment, and often the people that I'm actually physically around. I've noticed this most with my partner. There have been times when we are out to dinner, or sitting on our couch and both of us will be on our phones, totally disconnected, lost in a world of make believe. I can waste hours viewing stories on Snapchat, watching dance videos on Facebook, or stalking insta-yogis pics and videos on Instagram. Instagram is the most easily justifiable for me, because I can convince myself that I am doing, "yoga research," and that it's beneficial for my teaching. I also like to lie to myself and often think, "I could totally do that" or, "I'll be able to do that someday," meanwhile, the reality is that instead of stretching, I'm just sitting on my phone watching other people follow their dreams.
A little while ago, I came up with the idea (most likely inspired by the book I'm reading, Tim Ferriss's 4-hour work week), that every morning instead of going on my phone right away (like I usually do, and then wasting 30 minutes to sometimes two hours), I wouldn't go on my phone until I had done yoga and stretched. There have always been yoga goals that I have wanted to be able to do, and logically know that I could achieve, if only I practiced them every day. For example, it's said that if you hold the splits for a minute every day on each side, you'll be able to do them in less than a year. The only problem is, very few people, or myself specifically I should say, are disciplined enough to actually do something EVERY DAY. I've tried different ways to motivate myself to stretch daily but nothing has worked, until I used my biggest vice, my smart phone, as a reward for stretching.
Photo by www.theprofessionalamateur.net
I have to admit, I did convince my partner, Alex, to do this with me, which was a VERY big help. I am definitely more motivated if I have a buddy to engage in whatever the goal is, with me. I recommend asking your partner, roommate or friend who has a similar goal (could be something like writing a book or studying etc.) to join you in this challenge. The first day was definitely the hardest (isn't it always...). I hadn't even realized what a habit it had become for me to go on my phone immediately upon awakening. Alex and I both woke up and were kind of like, "umm, what do we do?" As well as, "this was a stupid idea," as the initial feeling is to want to get our screen-time in and get the immediate gratification of whatever likes or comments might have come our way.
The second day, it was easier, the third day, even easier. Some days, when I have more time I'll do yoga or stretch for an hour, and other days when I'm in a hurry, it's more like a quick 15 minutes. Either way, the feeling of accomplishing even a little goal is a good way to start the day, and, not surprisingly, I've already seen improvement in some of the specific poses that I've been wanting to improve on for years, just from setting a small screen-time rule for myself. Comment below with questions or what your goal is!
Try it!
P.S.-- we went to a cute cafe in Nerja, Spain, called Good Stuff Cafe, and per usual, we asked the owner of the shop for the WiFi password, to which he responded by pointing at a big sign hung on the wall stating- "NO WIFI, TALK TO EACH OTHER!" Haha, too good, shoutout to Good Stuff Cafe.
Photo by www.theprofessionalamateur.net