I love that phrase "productive leisure." I've noticed that I always feel satisfied with my downtime when I've used it to read a book, but not so when I've meandered around YouTube watching various unrelated videos.
Me too! You can spend hours doing nothing and still not feel like you had any rest! (And I definitely struggle with Youtube rabbit trails too!) I hope we both have some awesome productive leisure this week!
GREAT recap of the book and very important points to think about. I have tried the idea of a “drop your phone 📱 off spot” in a designated area for family functions. The problem is we all use them for a camera 📸 too. It has worked at dinner time only. I am dealing with adult children & adults.
Yes! I've looked into the minimalist phones but the iPhone camera is just too good; I'm not willing to give that up! LOVE the phone drop-off idea even just for meals. I wish restaurants had those too, haha.
Thank you for this post! I think Cal Newport has helped a lot of people with his work and I really like the direction his writing has been moving in the last few years. To answer a couple of your questions, after doing the recommended 30-day break, I decided that Instagram and Facebook are useful technologies for me, for two reasons: 1) IG keeps me connected to internet friends whom I have never met in real life but with whom I correspond, and share in the ups and downs of life and 2) FB is a place where I get and share genuinely useful information in a neighbourhood parenting group and in my kids' school group for parents. BIG CAVEAT: I use a software called Freedom to limit my use to 15 minutes per day. It locks me out afterward. This is the mechanism I need in place in order to not endlessly scroll! Other things like never bringing my phone into the bedroom have now become default behaviours for me.
Sara, I love this thoughtful comment; thank you so much! I haven't heard of that particularly software; wow, that seems really helpful.
YES I totally agree about social media! Facebook groups are extremely helpful (especially locally.) And, yes, the people I talk to on Instagram genuinely make me happy! But I so easily just find myself scrolling on reels and feeling so empty after. So taking a regular break is always helpful to remind me of how much my attention is worth. 15 minutes on social media is plenty; I LOVE that you have made that limit.
The no-bedroom rule feels strict but it's brilliant; my day starts SO differently depending on whether my phone is the first thing that gets my attention or not.
I'm going to have to use these tips for myself! Thanks again for sharing, Sara!
I love that phrase "productive leisure." I've noticed that I always feel satisfied with my downtime when I've used it to read a book, but not so when I've meandered around YouTube watching various unrelated videos.
Me too! You can spend hours doing nothing and still not feel like you had any rest! (And I definitely struggle with Youtube rabbit trails too!) I hope we both have some awesome productive leisure this week!
GREAT recap of the book and very important points to think about. I have tried the idea of a “drop your phone 📱 off spot” in a designated area for family functions. The problem is we all use them for a camera 📸 too. It has worked at dinner time only. I am dealing with adult children & adults.
Yes! I've looked into the minimalist phones but the iPhone camera is just too good; I'm not willing to give that up! LOVE the phone drop-off idea even just for meals. I wish restaurants had those too, haha.
Thank you for this post! I think Cal Newport has helped a lot of people with his work and I really like the direction his writing has been moving in the last few years. To answer a couple of your questions, after doing the recommended 30-day break, I decided that Instagram and Facebook are useful technologies for me, for two reasons: 1) IG keeps me connected to internet friends whom I have never met in real life but with whom I correspond, and share in the ups and downs of life and 2) FB is a place where I get and share genuinely useful information in a neighbourhood parenting group and in my kids' school group for parents. BIG CAVEAT: I use a software called Freedom to limit my use to 15 minutes per day. It locks me out afterward. This is the mechanism I need in place in order to not endlessly scroll! Other things like never bringing my phone into the bedroom have now become default behaviours for me.
Sara, I love this thoughtful comment; thank you so much! I haven't heard of that particularly software; wow, that seems really helpful.
YES I totally agree about social media! Facebook groups are extremely helpful (especially locally.) And, yes, the people I talk to on Instagram genuinely make me happy! But I so easily just find myself scrolling on reels and feeling so empty after. So taking a regular break is always helpful to remind me of how much my attention is worth. 15 minutes on social media is plenty; I LOVE that you have made that limit.
The no-bedroom rule feels strict but it's brilliant; my day starts SO differently depending on whether my phone is the first thing that gets my attention or not.
I'm going to have to use these tips for myself! Thanks again for sharing, Sara!