Each Sunday, my iPhone sends a notification stating the average daily usage for the week. It calculates what apps you spend the most time. Honestly, my usage went up 16% this last week.
Like many of you, we’re trying to get a handle on our screen time. The air of summer has begun after a long season of the shutdown. Perhaps, we have an opportunity in front of us to recalibrate our digital usage.
Josh Eisenhart, a teammate and Director of Family Ministry at Browncroft, shared on Psalm 27 (click here for the message). He took a moment to specifically focus on Psalm 27:4, which talks about “…gazing out the beauty of the Lord…” We can encounter God’s beauty through stepping outside into nature. These views refresh our souls.
As I reflected on Josh’s encounter with God’s beauty and his encouragement to put our phones down, I began to reconsider my digital boundaries. Psalm 27 invites us to experience the rest and refreshment from God amid our chaos. Digital boundaries create space for us to recalibrate.
You might wonder what it looks like to implement digital boundaries in your life. I confess I have a daily struggle to maintain a healthy rhythm for phone usage. In many ways, this area for us has become a moving target.
I have noticed a few practices that have assisted me in creating digital boundaries. Check them out below:
Start with addition, not just subtraction.
If I tell you to put down your phone, inevitably you’ll pick up your phone. We need certain practices for substituting time with our phones. That might mean taking a walk or hike. You could read a book with the phone in the other room. It starts by picking an additional practice rather than subtracting phone usage.
Mealtime becomes a no phone zone.
My two-year-old daughter startles me with this question, “Daddy, what are you doing?” Utilizing your mealtime as a place for conversation helps you connect with others and moves you away from your phone.
Schedule a turn-off time for your phone.
Each Saturday, I try to power down my phone for 30 minutes. It helps the phone recharge and also helps me recharge. Find a time that you can guard away from using your phone. Shutting down allows you to lean into other activities in your schedule.
Plan ahead.
When I have healthy digital boundaries, it happened because I planned. Tools like Buffer allow you to schedule posts. The times that I have planned out content, posting, and responding have benefited me personally along with my family.
How have you created digital boundaries? Share them in the comment section below.