Lil' Habit in Action: AM Tech Ban
What it looks like to start a new habit the lil' habit way.
“The Lil’ Habit way is to leap right in and do it sloppy, turn your curiosity up to 11 and mute your judgment. Think of your new lil’ habit as an exploration instead of a destination. Pay attention to how you feel and what you discover.” - Andrea Engstrom
This week I started the AM Tech Ban. My intention is to avoid diving into my device first thing in the morning. 60 minutes is the recommendation, so I start lil’ by reducing that to 5 minutes because consistency is more important than performance.
MONDAY
I wake up and immediately reach for my iPhone “just to check the time.” I remind myself that I’m doing it lil’ and I only have to wait 5 minutes. What can I do for those 5 minutes instead? I roll out of bed and let my dog Milo outside. Was that 5 minutes? Probably not. The only way to know is to check my phone. I have no idea what 5 minutes feels like.
TUESDAY
OK. I got this. I roll right out of bed, make it, feed my cat Jennifer Juniper, pull on some yoga pants, a jacket, and tennis shoes and leash Milo to take him for a walk. He’s confused but up for it. I still have sleep in my eyes and my hair hasn’t been brushed. But I feel GREAT. Look at me rocking the sh*t out of my morning. This tech ban thing really works.
WEDNESDAY
Remember rocking the sh*t out of my morning? Resistance makes an appearance with an important reminder, “you don’t need to do that EVERY DAY.” True. But I am doing the 5-minute tech ban every day. I lie in bed for what I decide is 5 minutes and then grab my phone, which has been pinging with text messages. It’s definitely something important (it’s not). I continue to lie in bed, reading messages, checking my instagram, I even send a couple of emails. Hmmm. I decide that the key to getting the most out of the AM Tech Ban is to make my bed before checking my phone.
THURSDAY
I roll out of bed, make it, feed my animals, wash my face, brush my hair, take my first sips of coffee, check my phone. In terms of best ways to start my day, I’m ranking walk Milo first thing at #1 and this is a close #2. The longer I stretch my ban from tech, the more energy I seem to have. I head out the door for errands.
FRIDAY
I have sessions all morning, so I take care of all of my morning tasks and I only check my phone with a specific purpose right before my first session. This feels like the most grounded and energized Friday I’ve had in a while.
SATURDAY
My Resistance was made for Saturdays. I wait for what feels like 5 minutes and grab my phone. I think that I should move my Alexa device into my bedroom so I can set a timer if I need one, that way I won’t be tempted to check my phone to see if it’s been 5 minutes. I am on my phone, in bed, cuddling with my animals for about an hour+, sending texts, checking Facebook and Instagram. Pure Resistance: “I deserve a break! I’ve been good all week with this new lil’ habit. It’s Saturday!” My entire day is lazy. I had wanted to power wash the front deck but I nap instead.
SUNDAY
I roll right out of bed, make it, wash my face, feed my animals, drink some coffee and open my laptop. I reflect on what I learned about this new lil’ habit of mine.
The time limit is a good boundary, but the habit is most effective for me when I don’t access my tech until I am out of bed, preferably with at least one morning task done and dusted.
Making the bed is a good cue that my day has begun.
The more I move first thing in the morning, the more energy I seem to have throughout my day.
Big winner is the sloppy dog walk, up and out the door bad breath and all. It felt so good and honestly required little effort. I must have caught my Resistance off guard because she didn’t make an appearance until the next day when she immediately protested, assuming I’d try that sneaky sh*t again.
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