Happy Wednesday! I really like Wednesdays for some odd reason – probably because it feels like the week is almost over in my weird head, even though I know it’s not. However, this week has been flying by, so I’m not mad about that one bit. Wednesdays are also typically a day where I do nothing at night but workout, make dinner, and watch TV. So I am a big fan of that fact. Anyway, today I want to talk a little bit about something I am very bad at, but know I need to get way better at if I’m trying to have an online business – technology.
Now don’t get me wrong. I love certain things about how technologically advanced our world is today, mainly the development of Netflix, whoever came up with the meme, the ease at which spreadsheets allow me to track whatever I want, FitBit’s, the ability to be in constant contact with the people I love via text wherever they may be in the world, and Spotify, but there are also a lot of negative aspects that come with being so connected all the time. I truly end each work day with a headache. Probably a combination of staring at a computer all day, sitting a lot, and knowing that my work people can literally reach me all night if they want to on my cell phone. There is no “off” time. We are always available, always on edge for the next alert, and always ready to respond at a moment’s notice.
One of the best weekends of my whole entire life was this past Labor Day weekend. Chris and I went up north to visit my grandma and then to a different up north with his family, and I turned my phone off for FOUR DAYS. It was amazing. I cannot remember ever being in a better mood. I really can’t. I know I need to do this again soon, and I’m just waiting for the right time to pop up.
Anyway, I could talk about this subject for days, but today I want to focus on the apps I have on my phone that I love and use every day (other than your typical phone, messages, calendar, photos, camera, weather, clock, maps, mail, etc.). Now just a disclaimer, I went through my phone on New Year’s and cleaned it up big time. Now it looks like this:
I was really intentional about the placement of apps and only wanted to keep those ones that I use daily, or in some cases weekly. I told myself that there’s no reason I can’t access the other things I like on my computer when the time is right. I thought this would help keep myself off of my phone in those random little five minute gaps in my day and either force myself to talk to the people around me or just sit quietly. And it’s worked pretty good so far!
So my current favorite apps are:
Wunderlist – Wunderlist straight up saves my life. I have lists for everything in here – to do list, things to buy, grocery list, the TV shows I watch, one for work, one for the blog, one for upcoming trips, one for follow-ups, one for things I want to buy when I get more money, etc. The list goes on and on. I also really love how it gives you a little *ding* when you check an item off the list – super rewarding in an odd sort of way. It also has the function to list-share, so Chris and I have quite a few that we both add to. It helps us to communicate on things without actually having to talk about them during the work day or think about remembering them for when we get home at night.
Mint – I’m not the best at budgeting, but I’m trying really hard. Mint helps me to at least see what I am spending my money on, even if I don’t necessarily follow the budgets I have set. I check this one every morning and am trying really, really hard to stay within the goals I have set for all of my major spending categories.
Tone It Up daily workout page – I’ve talked about my love for Karena and Katrina a lot on here. They make a daily workout available to everyone who is following their plan, and I set this internet page as an icon on my phone screen so it’s easily accessible each morning. It makes it so simple to go through the moves throughout the day, whether I do them all in the morning or spread them out during the day at work.
Headspace – Although I do not use this one every day, I want to. That’s why it is on this list. It’s a simple meditation app that only requires 5 – 10 minutes a day. I used to follow it religiously, but lost sight of it lately. I find that when I start my day out on the right foot, everything else tends to fall into place much easier. I keep this app as a reminder that one of these days (hopefully sooner rather than later) I will get back into the practice of starting my mornings out with some intentional meditation and just let my mind go before I start to think about everything the day will require.
Podcasts – I was never really into podcasts, but after discovering The Skinny Confidential a few months ago, I have been obsessed. I love the fact that I can listen to podcasts while I work all day and still get some knowledge, insight, and techniques about things I am interested in and passionate about. Although I do love listening to music, podcasts help me to keep my mind sharp and moving, especially while I am doing something I might not be too thrilled about.
I also talked about it in this post, but one of the biggest changes I made (that has been unbelievably positive for improving my mental well-being and lowering wasted time) was deleting my Facebook two months ago. It was really bringing me nothing but pain and a few cute pictures, and I just decided that wasn’t worth it. I want to spend my free time thinking about things that bring me joy, being outside as much as possible, and interacting with my loved ones.
So there you have it! For whatever it’s worth, I would highly recommend doing a detox of your phone. It will do wonders for your mind and will help you to remember what is really worth looking at every day and what just isn’t.
What’s your favorite app right now? Anything you used to be addicted to and then got rid of?
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