Connect More With Your Family This Year - Tip Number 1 - Schedule Screen-Free Time

Have you watched The Social Dilemma on Netflix, yet? I recommended it sometime in 2020. Phones and their apps have shifted from tools that we use to get things done to advertising platforms that are designed to pull us in and keep us pulled in, calling out to us when we try to resist so that they can show us ads and make money. Everything down to the color of your notification badges (the circle with the number) are designed to keep you checking your phone.

How many times has your family been in the same room together under the guise of watching a movie as a family but everyone is sucked into their phone or tablet? Maybe one family member is watching the movie on the TV, but everyone else is distracted? This would never happen at our house because we are all robots. I kid. This happens a good bit, and generally when we are unintentional about our screen use. Sometimes, we need a little escape, and sometimes we need to intentionally schedule a time to connect without our phones to distract us at every vibration or ding.

So, for 2021, pick just ONE night a month for SCREEN FREE family time. For that one night a month, have everyone put their phone somewhere away from them and do something together as a family. Allow yourself to truly be present. Try not to sneak away to check your phone (that email can wait). Try to not even bring up things that don’t have to do with whatever you are doing in the moment. You don’t REALLY need to talk about that school project right now, seriously.

Need some ideas for what to do?