Turn Off the TV! & Other Distractions

Dear Readers,

Do you ever notice when you unplug your electronics time seems to slow down? In an age of technology and information this really got me thinking about the new challenges mindfulness is bombarded with on a daily basis. Let's face it, finding time to practice meditation mindfulness was likely more accessible in an era when times were simiply slower, and radio had active listeners. So, how much screen time are we really getting?

More than 34 hours

The average American over the age of 2 spends more than 34 hours a week watching live television, says a new Nielsen report — plus another three to six hours watching taped programs.

(The above article was published in 2012, so I would even venture to guess these numbers have increased when considering applications like Netflix or Hulu and the smart devices that get us there faster each year.)

Consider this ontop of full-time working parents, spouses, and students in high stress environments and we're left with very little time that is truly ours. In a time management exercise I participated in last year we were asked to divide our time into a pie chart. We recorded how our 24 hours were being put to use between sleep, work, and other obligations. This left me with 1-2 hours of time to myself late in the evening and even these minutes were generally filled with squeezing in a hot shower or cleaning my apartment.

So, what distracts you from your own time?

How do you spend your 24 hours?

Are there some adjustments that can be made in your life to create more time for mindfulness and over-all wellness?

(The final irony is that you're currently engaging in screen time if you've stumbled across this post.)

10 Simple Ways to Carve More Time Into Your Days from Apartmenttherapy.com :

1. Use your commute time. I'm not a huge fan of multi-tasking, but using your commute time for something else is an exception. This can be a great time to do a mindfulness meditation practice: use the time you spend to get to work to simply hear, feel and notice the details around you. You could also use this time to plan out your day, make a phone call, or listen to a book.

2. Plan your week in advance and cut out any meetings, appointments, calls, tasks or events that are not absolutely necessary. (Remember, if your RSVP is not an enthusiastic "hell yeah!" then make it a confident, but polite, "No thank you!")

3. Circle any tasks on your to do list that you can delegate. (And then do it!) Sometimes, it just feels easier to do things ourselves. But if you can get in the habit of asking other people (colleagues, partners, roommates, etc.) to lighten your load where possible, you will be thankful you did.

4. Keep a time diary to figure out how you are spending your time. Do you spend an unnecessary 90 minutes a day checking Facebook, Twitter, or your email? Your laptop, smartphone, or computer vortex can suck you in and swallow you whole for an hour before it spits you back out and you realize that you even left. Spend one day writing down how you spend your time; it might surprise you.

5. Check your email at designated times each day. You'll save a tremendous amount of time if you check your email four times a day, or even every hour instead of every 15 minutes. Ask yourself: How often do I really need to check and respond to email?

6. Consolidate your errands. Write down the errands that you usually complete each week (pharmacy, grocery, drycleaners, bank, etc) and make a schedule that saves time. Complete all of your errands on one day, or make Monday the "close to work" errands and Tuesday the "close to home" errands.

7. Cut down on a bit of your TV time. Pay attention to how much time you spend watching TV each week. Do you really need to log in fourteen hours a week in front of the tube? Cutting out even just a little of that time can free up extra hours for reading, relaxing, exercising, spending time with friends or family, or just doing nothing.

8. Eliminate unnecessary social media time. Again, write it down and keep track. How much time do you spend every day on social media? Is that really necessary? I recently stopped checking Facebook every day...it was a habit more than anything else. Do I feel like I am missing something? Nope. Do I have more time do other things? Absolutely.

9. Teach your kids to help out with household chores. My favorite strategy is the trash bag trick: Every couple of days, I take a big plastic trash bag and tell my kids that whatever toys are left on the floor are going in the We're Giving This Away Bag. They clean up pretty quickly.

10. Wake up early to read the paper in peace, exercise, or meditate. (In this case: Do as I say, not as I do.) I have a very hard time waking up early to do anything without feeling exhausted by the end of the day. I enjoy the peace and quiet in the morning, but I do feel the lack of sleep later. However, this tip works really well for a lot of people. If you can get yourself out of bed early, the time is all yours!