My wife and I had a lovely dinner this evening, and on the topic of discussion was how we could be more present for each other, and our daughter. We came up with a few ideas, some better than others.
I have a few Jewish friends who do Sabbath, and while I am impressed by their commitment, I don’t think it is for us. Having no technology from Friday night to Saturday night is tough, but I imagine a lot easier if you’re surrounded by like-minded people. Being Amish is a lot easier in rural Pennsylvania than it would be in central Tokyo.
Things that we thought might work were:
- Tracking our weekly usage: Downwards trend is good, and we all know there is areas to be improved. Sure, we need our phones for work and general life, but we don’t need them for those purposes four hours a day, seven days a week, on average
- Hard Rules: No phones at dinner, no phones before bed. Two non-negotiables.
- Systems > Motivation: I did some research, and the best app is one called Freedom, which provides blocking for both apps and internet. I’m downloading it tonight, and will report back in seven days how it works.
Our phones are critical to modern living, allow us to keep in touch with friends and family, navigate with ease, and stay safe. They’re great, and true wonders of technology. However, they aren’t without a cost, and we’re trying to manage them.
If there has been something that works for you, let me know!
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