We spend so much time sucked into our small screens. While I’m not one to shame millennials for being millennials, we can’t forget that there is life beyond being online. Here’s some simple ways to remember this.
1. Read
We don’t realize how many countless hours a day we spend reading texts, tweets, and statuses. While that’s fine in moderation, reading meaningless blurbs becomes draining. Many book-lovers say they love books but are “too busy” to read, yet a majority of them are on their phones before bed. Instead of doing this, use some of that time dedicated to reading a book or magazine.
2. Create something
We scroll through so much media everyday and marvel at the people that are creative or thought-provoking. While looking at art, reading text, and listening to music is a wonderful experience, it doesn’t have to be experienced solely through consumption. Let the media you soak in inspire you, and let your creative juices flow. After you’re done, you will feel not only more accomplished, but also refreshed due to staying away from your phone for so long.
3. Organize your life
Procrastination is the act of avoidance. When we avoid things, we let them build up. When these things build up, our lives become a mess, and we text our friends to let them know we’re “literally so stressed out and just want to do nothing.” And then we procrastinate more because we’re overwhelmed. Instead of falling into this vicious cycle, next time you realize your life is in shambles and you have three tests tomorrow, a full bin of laundry, and have a course enrollment appointment coming up that you haven’t thought about, take a deep breath. Then flip your phone over. Texting about how stressed you are is futile, not to mention, people don’t want to hear how stressed you are. Everyone is stressed. Take thirty minutes to plan your week out, figure out what you need to get done and when, and get your stuff together. You’ll thank yourself later.
4. Feed yourself
If your Facebook is stacked with shares of cooking tutorial after cooking tutorial, go make it! It looks good on your wall, but it looks (and tastes) better in person. It isn’t much harder than watching a video that sums up how to easily make a mouth-watering meal in under thirty seconds. Side bonus: if everything goes as planned, you might actually gain some cooking skills. Just think, you could be devouring honey chipotle chicken tenders, instead of slurping your fourth bowl of ramen that week while watching a video on how to make honey chipotle chicken tenders.
5. Do something
Instead of being in awe over how cool someone’s latest Instagram from the top of a mountain they just hiked looks, go hike that mountain! We spend so much time getting FOMO over people’s social media that we forget we have the ability to, you know, actually do those things too. All it takes is a little motivation, and before you know it, the glow of your phone in your dark bedroom can be the glow of the stage lights at a concert. While we may not all want to shell out money to go have fun, there are plenty of free things out there. Go into the world and just explore, you may have more fun than you think. Don’t pay attention to your phone for a couple hours, and you’ll experience way more. If you really miss the universe inside your phone during this, don’t worry. You can always post an Instagram of your experience in a couple hours anyway.