Everyone has a smart phone nowadays, even children! I didn’t get my first phone until I was 16 and it was definitely not an iPhone or Android. It was an LG flip phone and I thought it was the coolest. It’s hard to go anywhere and not find people constantly glued to their phone. I have to admit that I used to be one of those people where I was always on my phone and that took up most of my day. I had my phone on me from the moment I opened my eyes until nighttime when I closed my eyes. It wasn’t until my husband had a talk with me and told me of my use of my phone. I didn’t see it as an issue but little did I know that it was taking quality time away from him! I was so into other people’s lives that I forgot about my own! I then started charging my phone in the living room so I didn’t have it with me in the bedroom. This small little action that I took made a huge impact. My husband and I now have late night deep talks and conversations and I can’t believe that I’ve been missing out on it this whole time. We use his phone for alarms and because he is the early bird in our marriage.
Now I know how he feels because if I’m with friends or people who are constantly on their phone, it annoys me to death. It shows me that I’m not worthy or interesting enough to give up their phones. I’ve decided that I can’t hang out with those types of people anymore and it’s not to hate on them but I believe that time is precious. If people want to go on their phones, that’s fine but do it on your time and not on mine. I’ve chosen to have a life where I can engage in meaningful life conversations with friends that will carry on throughout the years.
My husband and I created a rule that after work from 7:00PM-8:00PM, that is the only time that we can use our phones for social media use. We can use 10 minutes out of that hour or the whole hour, it’s all about self-control and being able to disconnect. I went on a social media fast for a whole month and I tell you, it cleansed my soul it felt like. It felt so refreshing to not be attached to my phone and it gave me more time to spend with my husband and my fur babies. This is what life is about, not what others have going on in their lives. I’ve got enough going on in mine that it keeps me busy and on my feet.
This lifestyle fits right into minimalism because the point is to make life not so busy and your phone will do just that. We not only need to rid ourselves of physical declutter but also mental and social declutter. If you can’t do the social media fast for a whole month, try a day or two and see if that makes any changes to your life. I can say that you will thank yourself for doing so. Use that time wisely as our days on Earth are numbered. I hope this post will help free up more of your time to do things that you’ve always wanted to do or to spend more time with your loved ones.
Sincerely,
Melissa Lee