Tag: unplug

How I manage screentime.

A few months back, I posted about how I unplug. I feel like it explains what I do to manage screen time. I haven’t really changed much since that time. I’m going to reblog it here for reference. I think it has some pretty good pointers if you find yourself too absorbed in your phone.

How do I unplug?

Do you have any additional pointers? Is phone distraction a big problem these days? Let me know in the comments, and don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe!

My favorite time of day.

I’ve previously written about my favorite time of day. It’s generally that time right before I go to sleep. Another time of day I’m quite fond of is quitting time, usually around 5 pm. This is a time when I can generally let go of a lot of the work-related thoughts spinning around in my head. Unfortunately, it feels like I’m never really disconnected from it. If something comes up, I know I will need to respond. I’ve gotten used to this over the years though.

Strategies I use to maintain health and well-being.

I’ve touched upon this one before in another post. I will repost the list here to bring it up to the top. I haven’t changed much since the last time I posted it.

  • I take vitamins and outer supplements. I’ve been taking vitamins since I was a kid.
  • I do things that improve my mental health, like reading, audiobooks, music, and blogging.
  • I try to go to bed at a decent hour. It’s definitely a challenge. I’m a natural night owl.
  • I focus on the growth mindset. Here’s a great book on it: Mindset – The New Psychology of Success
  • I do a lot of walking, both at work and when I get off work.
  • I try to avoid stressful situations and people, when possible.
  • I take naps. It doesn’t sound healthy, but it really makes me more energized.
  • Food quality is important to me, and I buy organic or non-GMO foods.
  • I don’t consume a large number of calories most days.
  • I avoid processed sugar and I don’t drink soft drinks.
  • I don’t smoke or use other tobacco products.
  • I try to unplug from work and forget about it.
  • I try to avoid foods that are high in salt, preservatives, and additives.
  • I go see a doctor when I am facing some sort of illness.
  • I tend to follow a ketogenic diet most days.
  • I eat foods that contain probiotics every day.
  • I avoid dangerous people, places, and things.
  • I try to focus on positive thoughts and read positive things.
  • I forgive myself for my failures and don’t expect perfection.
  • I shower and practice good hygiene every day.
  • I realize that the worst-case scenario rarely happens, so don’t worry.
  • When things do go wrong, I realize it’s just a new life direction.
  • I take it easy and nurse myself back to health when I’m injured.
  • I don’t drink unfiltered tap water ever, unless I have nothing else.
  • I don’t drink alcohol, just kidding. 🙂
  • I have faith in a higher power, and I pray every night.

What do you do to maintain health and well-being? Let me know in the comments, and please like, subscribe, and share!

My self-care strategies.

Here are a few things I do to practice self-care. It’s not an exhaustive list, and I could probably do more.

  • I take vitamins and outer supplements. I’ve been taking vitamins since I was a kid.
  • I do things that improve my mental health, like reading, audio books, music, and blogging.
  • I try to go to bed at a decent hour. It’s definitely a challenge. I’m a natural night owl.
  • I focus on the growth mindset. Here’s a great book on it: Mindset – The New Psychology of Success
  • I do a lot of walking, both at work and when I get off work.
  • I try to avoid stressful situations and people, when possible.
  • I take naps. It doesn’t sound healthy, but it really makes me more energized.
  • Food quality is important to me, and I buy organic or non-GMO foods.
  • I don’t consume a large number of calories most days.
  • I avoid processed sugar and I don’t drink soft drinks.
  • I don’t smoke or use other tobacco products.
  • I try to unplug from work and forget about it.
  • I try to avoid foods that are high in salt, preservatives, and additives.
  • I go see a doctor when I am facing some sort of illness.
  • I tend to follow a ketogenic diet most days.
  • I eat foods that contain probiotics every day.
  • I avoid dangerous people, places, and things.
  • I try to focus on positive thoughts and read positive things.
  • I forgive myself for my failures and don’t expect perfection.
  • I shower and practice good hygiene every day.
  • I realize that the worst-case scenario rarely happens, so don’t worry.
  • When things do go wrong, I realize it’s just a new life direction.
  • I take it easy and nurse myself back to health when I’m injured.
  • I don’t drink unfiltered tap water ever, unless I have nothing else.
  • I don’t drink alcohol, just kidding. 🙂
  • I have faith in a higher power, and I pray every night.

I’m always open to new suggestions! What do you do for self-care? Don’t forget to like and subscribe!

How do I unplug?

Unplugging means something different to everyone. For some, myself included, it means getting away from the stress induced by your work, but for a lot of people unplugging means getting away from the constant dings on their phone from social media and other notifications. Basically, I think unplugging means getting away from the things that drain you, and maybe focus on the things that help you relax and recharge.

I try to disconnect from work.

In general, I try to disconnect from work as quickly as possible right after the day has ended, usually around 5 o’clock. I might get a call from someone after that, but it would only be if there was a major issue and I needed to be involved. A more difficult thing to get away from is the email and instant messaging, as that can continue after hours. Unfortunately, management is mostly about responsibility, so I really can’t disconnect from this totally. If something happens, I have to be available.

The worst problem I have comes from worrying about things at work. I tend to carry that with me after work. If something is stressing me, or if I am upset by office politics, it will be hard to get that out of my head. I know for sure that this is the kind of stress that can cause the most damage to my health, and since I’m a natural worrier, this is hard to combat, but I’m getting better at putting it out of mind.

I have my phone on silent.

I have my cell phone on silent practically all of the time. Yes, it is on silent right now. I know it’s annoying for people who try to call me when they get a voicemail, but the piece of mind I receive is worth it. If it’s really important they will leave a voicemail, and that will register a badge on my phone. I do allow calls to vibrate, so I can feel it if my phone is on me. I can also see it visually if I happen to be looking at my phone.

This was a practice that really started because of all the meetings I would be in at work. I would turn it on silent during the meetings. There was enough of them that I eventually became tired of turning silent mode on and off and I figured I’d eventually wear out the switch. Your phone going off at the office is also annoying to other people, in case you didn’t already know this, just saying.

I silence unknown callers.

I silence unknown callers on my cell phone. There is a feature on my phone that will silence unknown callers. If I turn this on, I will only receive calls from people who are in my contact list. I don’t have this on right now, but I have used it in the past. I turned it off because I would sometimes get important work related calls from unpredictable numbers.

My cell phone has also gotten much better at detecting spam calls. I used to get a lot of these spam calls, and they are totally annoying. I would never want to be in the cold-calling business. I bet quite a few people are bothered by these types of calls and are probably not too cheery when they end up answering.

I edit my phone notifications.

I edit the notifications on my phone. Most of the apps on my phone can’t actually show a notification at all. That means, no vibration, no sound, not even a pop up on the home screen. The apps that don’t bug me too much can show me badges. I can visually see there is something there waiting for me, but only when I look at my phone and I am ready to deal with it.

I am actually very disturbed when my phone constantly makes noises when I am trying to concentrate. I don’t even like to be around other people’s phones when they are constantly dinging. I’ve been around people who seem to get a beep about every three minutes. This would drive me up the wall.

I uninstall draining apps.

If an app on my phone is taking up a lot of my attention, I will eventually evaluate it’s worth to me. Time is all you have in life and you don’t want to waste it. If the app isn’t providing a good return for the amount of time I spend on it, I just uninstall it. Uninstalling the apps you don’t need also has a lot of other advantages.

  • Your phone will stay charged for longer, as some apps consume a lot of battery.
  • Your phone may be more responsive, especially if you don’t close out apps.
  • You will improve security, because every app is a potential attack vector.
  • You will have more storage space for the things that really matter.
  • Your remaining apps will be easier to find, because there is fewer apps overall.
  • You will waste less time organizing your apps.
  • Your home screen will look a lot cleaner.

I reduce the noise around me.

I am a very aural person. If there is any distracting sound in earshot, I simply cannot focus. With enough noise, my mind will become completely incapacitated. The saying that I can’t hear myself think because of all the noise really resonates with me. My ideas are literally too quite to be heard over all the noise, and this usually causes me to seek out a quiet place where I won’t be disturbed. Wonder why I don’t go to many concerts?

Sometimes, when I have to work on something that requires a lot of concentration, I actually put on sound blocking earmuffs. I feel like my IQ increases by 20% just wearing them, because my mind isn’t tracking every sound in the room. It literally does this. I’m not kidding. I am practically Daredevil, except I am not blind. I will register every conversation going on around me too. It’s utterly annoying.

I really recommend earmuffs if you have never tried them. I wouldn’t have made it through college without them. My memory and concentration rise immensely when all sound is blocked out. Distractions are a huge waste of your mental energy. Below are the ones I use. I’m wearing them right now, believe it or not.

Protecting yourself from noise can greatly improve your concentration. I wear these when I want to block everything out.

3M Over-the-Head Noise Reduction Ear Muffs

I chill at a local bar.

I live in a nice city with a lot of decent pubs within walking distance. I stroll down to one pretty often. I can sit there and relax and just chill, converse with another local bar patron, or strike up a conversation with a complete stranger at the bar top. I’ve met so many interesting people that way. Everyone has a story to tell, and I’m all ears 🙂

Let me know what you think about this, and don’t forget to like and subscribe.