Happy December y’all! I am finally embarking on the second part of my last post Setting Boundaries Volume 1. Call this volume two, even though I feel that the title I chose is SO much more appropriate.
Hi my name is Gina. (Hi Gina) and I am a social media/iPhone/need to be connected addict.
What would you classify as an social media addiction? Hmm, someone who in every spare moment needs (needed) to check her phone. The red bubble of emails or any notification unchecked would make me want to pull my hair out if I didn’t check it. Taking the perfect Instagram photo a hundred times (PS I think Insta is serious extra pressure for photogs/creatives in general, even though I love it). Feeling connected made me feel better, maybe more honestly made me feel like I am in control. As long as were always in the know, right? Oh and having all of this information open all the time, on every possible device was a totally normal thing.
I could go on with the symptoms, but you get it. You feel the pressure and those of us who own our own businesses might feel it even more. But does any of this help us? Is any of this mandatory to be successful? NO. Does it help us live our life’s fuller? Not if you are or was obsessed like me. It takes away from life. I don’t want to be buried in my phone in every down moment. Yet, in reality unless I take action to do something out of the ordinary, that is never going to change.
Like I spoke about in my last post, at Making Things Happen we have our phones OFF all day long. As much as I thought I would dread it/have a panic attack/miss everything those first classes years ago. It was and still is SO freeing. Today leaving my phone in the gym locker as I ran upstairs to run with a friend was awesome!!! You would be AMAZED at how much more rested I am since I have been charging my phone in the kitchen. I think I literally go to be 1-3 hours earlier than if it’s charging next to my head tempting me to check in on the sleeping world.
Friends, our society has made it near impossible to REST. TO REALLY REST! I just recently listened to the most amazing sermon by Mark Driscoll on this exact subject called Work and Worship, and I found myself saying audible AMEN’s throughout my run where I was listening. (You can easily download the free podcast to your iPhone)
It takes a whole lot of work to REST, but I am committed to this because it does matter. It does change my heart and my family. I have seen the fruits first hand. Yet, that doesn’t make it second nature for me, or easy. I am not even close to perfect, but I want to share what is helping me. Helping me to focus on the things that matter. What others like my dear friend Lara have challenged and taught me to do. These things….are you ready?
Here are the 2nd set of boundaries I have put into place to help me focus on what matters
Tackle your iPhone
1. Shut OFF ALL Notifications for social media and email.
a. Which means go to your notification center on your phone and shut it off for those or all apps (facebook, twitter, instagram, gaming..etc). ALL of it. No banners no nothing. And if you are gasping here. Remember you can still get all the same info by opening the app. You will be ok. I promise.
b. Go to your mail settings and turn off the PUSH function. It’s underneath fetch new data. Again, it will all be there. This doesn’t change anything except for giving you the control to view your email when you would like.
2. Take a DEEP BREATH. Give yourself a high five!
3. Move around your home screen, to help you focus on what matters. For me that is my faith, my family and intentional work for my business. In that order, so you will see my home page has only the things that I want to focus on first. People, I actually thought that if I moved my email from it’s original place on the bottom four that I would have a heart-attack. I live to tell you it’s SO possible.
a. What I did? I stuck my mail folder on the 4th page in a random folder called Misc. Again, now with it not having a red bubble, because I shut off the notifications. I barely notice it’s there and mostly check my email on my computer when I should be. It’s always there if I need it, just not stressing me out.
b. I put all my social media apps or ones that I get caught up with in a folder called TIMESUCK. Again, just giving myself an extra boundary so that it isn’t always immediate.
4. Lastly, I made it pretty. I made my home screen and first page things that I want to focus on. Almost exactly like my Google Chrome page.
Here is the photo above if you want it for your phone, just open this link on your iPhone and hold to save! I think that should work!
Whoo! Here is enough homework for now. I would love to see how you rearranged your phone! Show me. Instagram, text me or email me your screen to be inspired. I was SO inspired by all the google home pages I saw you create!
Look for the next post on how I have cut my facebook time down to less than 30 minutes a day. It’s amazing and I can’t wait to share!
