Next week starts my next resolution: read a book a month.
My aim for this resolution is to challenge myself to turn off the TV, get off my phone, and read a book from start to finish. We hear numerous stories about how increased time on social media is correlated to rates of anxiety, depression and stress. I believe that by limiting my time on Facebook/Instagram and watching Friends on Netflix, I will increase my happiness and become more disciplined.
I have written about limiting screen time in another one of my posts, Screen Time Detox
I am also experimenting with what less exposure to screens will produce. If you think about it, how often are you in front of a screen? Do you use your phone as an alarm in the morning, use it to check the weather, then check Google Maps to check traffic on your morning route? Do you do most of your work on a computer all day? Scroll through social media at lunch time? Throw on a movie when you’re ready to relax after work or play video games ? Then use your phone on your bedside table to fall asleep at night?
I wonder what changes I will notice in my life if I start swapping that time for a book? My plan is to plant a book in the places I usually find myself sitting for a while; the couch, the nursery armchair and my bed. I also plan to make a practice of reading before bedtime instead of watching a show or scrolling through social media. I plan on visiting the weekend every weekend, even if I don’t need a book, to keep myself surrounded by books (and I love that library smell). I plan on recreating that wonderful scene from last weekend (feet up, in front of the fire, reading while my son sleeps, “Re”living My Best Life) because it brought me so much joy.
By the end of my Growth Plan I will have read four books. That’s probably what I usually read in an entire year! So this will be quite the challenge!
What’s your resolution to limit screen time?
What will you do instead?
How will limiting social media impact your life?
Mountain Mindset Counseling 