It was a nice weekend, but I am not feeling the need for a full recap this morning (summary: 2 workouts, 1 early rising baby, a lot of pool time, one work-related date night, HOT weather, and somewhat irritable overtired big kids who probably need a screen break). I will instead take this moment to look forward, because after spending a solid hour (probably more) scrolling from influencer to influencer on Friday night I was so disgusted with this use of my time that I felt the beginnings of a sea change come over me.
I am determined to make this week a good one.
A MONDAY MORNING MANIFESTO:
I will get the (big) kids to bed by 8:15, taking back part of my evenings.
I will go to bed in time to get at least 7 hrs of sleep each night.
I will NOT fall down phone or instagram rabbit holes. I will not let apps and social media companies steal my (valuable) attention and time in that way.
I will not eat free food of dubious quality.
I will single task to the extent possible. I will check email and notifications periodically and not let them become the architecture of my day.
I will put my phone out of sight when I get home and get it out only when needed for a specific purpose.
I will not perseverate over the idea that I have “so much to do” and somehow need to have it all done at once (I can’t, so why stress?)
I will treat my time and energy like the precious and limited commodities that they are.
I will practice gratitude and remember how lucky I am on a daily/hourly/frequent basis.
MIC DROP. This is going to be a full week. But I feel ready now.
17 Comments
Good luck! Our bedtime has crept later and later here too and I hate that I also fall down the IG rabbit hole. My surfing Isn’t even influencer related – it’s usually just normal people that I don’t even know? Wtf??? I deleted the app from my phone but I still log on via the web browser. Arg.
Here’s to Monday’s and fresh starts!
The amount of worthwhile content I’ve read/seen on Insta is very low. The connections are few — I do have a couple of ‘blog friends’ where I truly value the relationship, but I could probably keep in touch enough by checking in once a week, if that!!
Yes! I love your resolutions. I try to get my kids to bed by 8, even if they’re reading in bed or something. It makes a huge difference in my evenings! IG is weird because I post mainly on my blog-related account so I somehow feel like I’m doing something productive when I use it…which is probably not really the case!
If only C could read yet 🙂 8 is impressive. It would give me much more of an ‘evening’. Currently I do get some time to read/talk w/ Josh often while they are finishing up watching a show. In some ways it works, but in other ways they are too tired and I end up hitting a parenting wall close to 9 when they really need to be in bed!
Yep “reading” for my 4 year old is more like “looking at the pictures”! 🙂 And the 8 pm doesn’t happen every day…if we have soccer or taekwondo or another event it’s more like 8:30-9. But if I achieve 8 even a few days a week I’m happy. I definitely hit the parenting wall around 8:30 so it’s better for everyone if they’re in bed by then. 😀 I know my limits!
Good luck! The bedtime has been creeping later here too, not so much for the toddler, but for the preschooler – the evening sunlight really makes it hard, especially since she still naps well at school, she has plenty of energy to goof off until 9 PM, asleep by 8:15 would be a true miracle. On the brightside, I’ve had some luck with reduced IG and FB time – not only did I delete the apps from my phone, but I also deleted my web browsers from my phone… seems extreme, but I can still get my email via the gmail app, Amazon from the Amazon app… and then anything else I either jot down to deal with on my laptop when I get home or if it’s urgent, either use my work computer or download chrome back on my phone quickly… I’ve recently read (listened – audio books!) Bored & Brilliant and Digital Minimalism so feel particularly protective of my brain right now 🙂
ooh, I never thought of deleting the browser from my phone. I have blocked specific sites before. Last night’s 8:15 was more like 9 pm – oops. But at least it’s better than 9:30!! We were even creeping towards 10 on some nights – later than I want to be in bed!!
Our bedtime has crept later as we were on vacation recently and then I had an “easy” rotation. Life is soooooo much better when we go to bed by 830 rather than 9! I just wish I could stick to it. I need to get off fb desperately. I was so good for a while, checking in maybe once a week. Then I relapsed. Argh. I feel grateful I never really got into insta or Twitter!
I haven’t been on facebook for years and never was into twitter, but man, Insta has quite the pull for me. When I manage to wean myself away I’m so much happier though.
Love all these, and inspired me yesterday to (mostly) stay off my phone. I have also gotten sucked back into the facebook hole, after barely checking it for months. And bedtime…yes. Its gotten to where its not even about having time to myself—I literally need to go to sleep the minute I leave their rooms.
Read digital minimalism and you will probably feel a) motivated to stay off of facebook and b) more forgiving to yourself about getting sucked in (it’s engineered very very carefully to do this to us).
My 6 year old is in bed by 730 every night, including weekends! The consistency is key. I know, we are those lame people in bed early but it really works for us. I’m up at 5am to run most mornings and the little guy is up 6-620ish.
I don’t think it’s lame! If it works, it works! I don’t think 7:30 would work for us but man I’d REALLY like to get closer to 8-8:15 than we currently are.
here also bed time creepingback wards , that camp started i started 9 pm last night , its so much overwhelming , saying to my i m stressed and i m losing it not helping . writing down things i want to do rather than thinking makes me accountable i will try todo that .
yes!! You can do it!!
Catching up on old posts so just reading this now (yay to not being caught up? Lol!!) I am going to download Cal Newports book, I saw his Ted Talk and loved it. I love your goals and hope you are sticking to them. The phone is awful- my 4 year old leaned over the screen and said “helllloooo?” To me today and I was horrified! Usually I’m the one doing that to my husband, so I was ashamed to realize I’m guilty too.
Have not totally stuck to them but I feel like I have reformed my habits significantly! Definitely check out his book!