A group of high schoolers and a couple of adult chaperones spent a Saturday morning cleaning up the overgrown backyard of a Neighbors Network Member. (I’m on the Board and the Volunteers Chair.) If you like vines and leaves of every shade, shape and size, you’d love her big backyard. It’s chock full! They enjoyed lopping, pulling, cutting, weeding and carrying piles to the curb. The Member is thrilled at how much better the yard looks.
This group wanted to do a volunteer project for an older adult on a Saturday morning as part of a weekend retreat. I was surprised they worked diligently for 2.5 hours with no one stepping aside to text or take a call. Their leader said one of their commitments when they signed up for this weekend away was “no phones.” They were not allowed to bring them.
What’s that like for them? One of the teens said a weekend without the phone makes a real difference for her. It is a much needed break, helps her focus on things that are important to her, gives her time to think and enjoy being outside or inside doing something she wants to do. She experienced what it’s like to be without her phone on retreats like this one, and it led her to create her own time off. She sometimes designates a weekend off, telling her friends she’s taking a break for a day or two, so don’t expect to hear from her. She treasures the difference it makes.
Adults benefit from taking a break, too. I hope you turn off your phone for chunks of time. It’s good for your health and wellbeing. Enables you to think, to focus, and to allow your thoughts to flow in directions they may not go otherwise.
Here are some stats from a survey of a thousand Americans 18 and older who were surveyed about their phone use.* Do you see yourself in these percentages?
More than 80% check their phones within 10 minutes of waking up.
More than 50% keep their devices within arm’s reach while they sleep.
65.7% use their phone on the toilet.
53.5% have texted someone in the same room.
48.3% have never gone longer than 24 hours without their phone
It’s important to have access to your phone in case of emergency, of course, but when do you give yourself breaks? When do you turn off the ringer and allow your thoughts to focus or to flow freely without the risk of interruption? I’d love to know what works for you.
