I feel like ever since becoming a mother nearly 13 years ago I’ve been on a journey for less (to make room for more of what’s important). A big part of that is learning to manage technology well and model for my kids. And yet, technology plays a huge role in our world and isn’t going away. The balance can be difficult, but there are some of the ways that have been helpful to me, ever a work in progress. The opportunity to reset and take a break is always a good thing!
I try to plug in my phone downstairs every night before bed. I got away from this last year when my son started middle school and a VERY early school start time. I wanted alarm back-up! Trying to reset this habit now with an old school alarm clock.
No TV in the bedrooms. I confess, this may change as my kids get older and we want to watch different things in the evenings. But in our 17 years of marriage, we haven’t missed it for a second. Having only one TV in the house encourages our family to find other things to do!
No video games on school days during elementary school. This worked fantastically during the pre-Covid years and was a clear boundary. Now that our kids stay up later we do usually watch TV together to unwind after long days.
Only check certain social media outlets on my computer (meaning I don’t have every option on my phone)
Turn off ALL notifications. This is SO helpful! I don’t need to be told every time someone posts something new. Just no.
Unsubscribe from email lists. I have a very curated list of newsletters I read and when I receive sales emails (usually after I’ve purchased something from a company) I immediately unsubscribe.
Utilize email folders to minimize visual clutter in my inbox. The inbox is ONLY current action items.
Utilize Do No Disturb feature on phone
I hope some of these ideas are helpful or give you something new to try to turn down the noise!