TT10 - 4 Cellphone Restrictions You Need In Your Life

Summary:

Cellphones are such an amazing thing, but if overused, can cause many physical and mental health issues that are difficult to reverse. When we get these devices, we are often given free-reign; we can do whatever we want whenever we want to. But if we want to use these responsibly, it's important that we set guidelines of how and when we can use our phones. In this week's Thursday Thoughts, I discuss 4 different types of restrictions that you can create to help you cut back on your phone use. I hope you enjoy!

1. Moment Restriction - Moment restrictions are put into play when we experience certain moments throughout the day. A few examples of these types of restrictions would be moments such as waking up, winding down for the day, spending time with friends, walking, taking a hike, really any moments that may require more of your presence. These are so important to set, because we are losing out on enjoying a lot of experiences due to our cellphones. Our presence is being decreased, and without that presence, we are not able to enjoy these moments as much as we potentially could. Be sure that if you set moment restrictions you are specific. It doesn't have to be black and white where you are either using your cellphone or not, but you can create requirements, such as "I won't use my cellphone for my entire hike unless it's to take pictures." Or, "I won't use my cellphone for the first 15 minutes that I'm with people." Make sure these restrictions are specific enough where there is no wiggle room and you know exactly when and how much that you can use your phone. What moment restrictions can you create in your life?

2. Time Restriction - Time restriction is cutting out cellphone use during certain times of the day. For example, if you work from 9am until 5pm, you can decide not to use your phone from 9am until 12pm, and 1pm until 5pm during the week. As another example, you can decide that no matter what day it is, you will stop using your phone after 8pm. Using time restrictions is a great way to stay consistent with your phone restrictions regardless of the day, and regardless of what you're doing. What time restrictions can you create in your life?

3. Location Restriction - Location restrictions place guidelines for the actual environment that you're in. For example, committing to not using your phone while you are in church. Or saying that you won't bring your phone into the bathroom. Or even saying that while you are at restaurants with over a 4 star rating, you won't check your cellphone. This type of restriction is beneficial for if you are attempting to keep certain locations sacred, or productivity-based. What location restrictions can you create in your life?

4. Notification Restriction - Restricting your notifications is a great tool to avoid checking your phone as impulsively. We are wired to check our phone to see if we have any new updates, and if we don't get those updates, we are much more likely to unlock our phones and get lost in our applications. If you don't get an update every time someone likes your picture on Instagram, it's not the end of the world, and it will save you a lot of time and a lot of stress in the long-run. What location restrictions can you create in your life? 

Of course you don't have to set each and every type of restriction in your life. The purpose of laying these out is to give you options so you can formulate the restrictions that work best for you. Regardless of what you choose, make sure you're actually implementing them into your life! Take this seriously, and you'll see some improvements in your presence and in your overall happiness.

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