Bad habits are hard to break as the saying goes.
Deep down in my bones, I know my bad habits and yet, so many of them remain, unchanged, by choice.
By not working to change my bad habits I am enabling myself to stay right where I am.
For me, my worst habit has to be my need for information and technology.
I admit it, I’m addicted to my phone and I hate it.
Did you know that in one study it was found that we touch, swipe, tap, and click our phones more than 2,000 times a day?!
That’s over a million touches a year.
That’s time I can spend creating content for you.
Or the time I can spend on self-care or a million other things.
I’ve been feeling the gnawing need to break this bad habit for a few years now and I am really happy at the progress I’ve made so far.
Here’s what I’ve done to break my cell phone /social media/tech addiction:
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I’ve turned off ALL notifications except my calendar. No exceptions.
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I have do not disturb turned on from 10 pm to 6 am so no one can call me during those hours.
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I activated the news feed eradicator on my Facebook so I don’t see anyone’s news feed. This helps me focus on my work inside of Facebook – not scroll.
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I set my WhatsApp profile to say that I don’t check messages often and if you need me – call! Who has time to read a million messages?
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I’ve stopped responding to messages right away and give myself a full 24 hours to answer if necessary.
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I’ve stopped responding to emails right away and wait a full 24 hours if possible. Sometimes it’s not and that’s okay – but if it can wait, it does.
Here are the things I have yet to put into practice:
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Deleting social media from my phone: It’s kind of hard as an online entrepreneur to remove all social because I have to post, but here’s the thing, I secretly hate social media. I crave deep connection and not showreels. But I digress….
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Putting my phone in another room at night to charge: This is one of the worst things I still do in my opinion. I really want to break this one and fast.
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Leaving all my WhatsApp family groups. I love my family, I do, but holy hell. My brain just can’t take it and if I leave, I’ll be the bad one. So. much. guilt.
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Not checking my phone first thing when I wake up: Ugh, this is so freaking terrible that I just hate it and yet every morning it’s the same thing. I firmly believe that the time you have when you just wake up should be spent in gratitude for another day, a look at the window at the sun or a few moments of silence in bed while breathing deep.
The good news is I know I am human and have there is always room for improvement. There are always possibilities of breaking bad habits and becoming closer to the person you dream of being.
I know that if I set an intention and keep it at the forefront of my mind on a daily basis, I can’t help but to move towards the goal I have set for myself.
I know that setting intentions work. I’ve seen it time and time again in my life and it’s unbelievable because when you do set an intention, the entire universe rallies behind you and pushes you towards that goal.
What bad habits do you desperately want to break?
Hit comment and let me know. I read every response.
xo,
Reese
