Time… the most valuable resource we have. The one thing we seem to never have enough of & we always want & need more. The reality is, there is 24 hours in a day. Lets face it, that fact will not change. With that said, I wanted to walk into 2018 with a more mindful approach to how I use my time.
When I started to evaluate my time, I took the month of December to write a chart. I logged everything I spent my time on, allowing me to add it up daily, weekly providing me a tally at the end of the month. I included, work, play & everything in between (including sleep).
My biggest loss of my time. Yes, you guessed it, my phone. Texts, emails, calls, social media, apps. My phone is in my hand the entire day minus the shower & when I am driving. When I look at the amount of messages I send & receive a month it blows my mind. Then once you peel that layer, there is also the social media end, posts, messages, direct messages etc.
I took the chart of the month of December & I added it up on New Years Eve.
Now that I had this data my next step was going to be about harnessing this attachment to the phone. Being more mindful of my need to respond all the time at any time of the day needs to be adjusted for sure.
I asked myself this question, what it is that is my #1 “Me Time” event in my life. There is no doubt it, It is the gym! I love my workouts & the entire experience. The workout, the steam room, the shower, the eucalyptus towels. I love everything about my gym. The gym is my personal space, where I recharge & refuel my spirit for the rest of my day. It is the #1 most important thing to ME that has no attachment to anything or anyone else, it is all mine.
To harness some of my time, to avoid distractions that are not urgent, to make my “me time” actually 100% “MY ME Time!” I have decided to make this minor adjustment. I will no longer be taking my phone into the gym. I will turn it off, enjoy my work out & my time & turn it back on when I am back in my office ready to respond. I will also have my post workout meal before i turn it back on, taking my mindful approach one step further. I am back to taking time to read while I eat as opposed to responding to messages while I eat.
I have an IPod for my music & that is what I will be bringing into the gym with me to avoid the temptation of checking my phone. In this 1st week, with less distractions I have already been more focused on my workouts, leaving me more refreshed & productive for the remainder of the day.
This is week 1 of this & I already feel so much more refreshed since I committed to this new routine. This new routine is aspiring to grow up to be a really great habit! On the other side, there is no doubt I am more productive after that total break from my phone. I get back to everyone more efficiently at my desk with everything I need in front of me. I am ready to get back at it.