It has been three weeks since I’ve started experimenting with screen-free Sundays. Here are some thoughts around it.
Firstly, it is somewhat difficult to stay 100% off screens for a full day, especially on a day when I want to get some personal stuff done. It puts some load on Saturday. I try to group all screen-based work to be finished on Saturdays and keep the rest for Sundays. In spite of that, there could be some call to action from a friend or family member or external entity (for example, a flight check-in) that needs to be done.
Then, it requires planning. As I mentioned earlier, I have to plan ahead to get the digital work finished on Saturday. I also write out my calendar events on Saturday nights. I happened to visit a friend’s place for lunch on a screen-free Sunday. I thought it was a great way to stay in the physical world for a few hours. But to my dismay, everyone wanted to watch a movie together. I had to sit reading the newspaper. How long can one read the Gulf Times in the UAE? Not more than 10 minutes! I missed to plan for this possibility.
It feels relaxed. When digital work is taken out of the day, it appears that the day is simpler. There are just a handful of things to do. Here are some of the ways in which my screen-free Sundays get filled these days.
- Take a relaxed shower.
- Cook.
- Take the children out swimming.
- Lunch with a friend or family.
- Curl up with a physical book.
- Go for a long walk.
- Go out for an activity – Do Yoga!
- Head out to one of the numerous activities that Dubai offers.
- Think.
- Nap.
- Weekly shopping.
- Declutter the house.
- Clean the house or furniture.
- Write a journal entry.
- Write something random on a piece of paper.
Lastly, the mind feels a bit more focused by the end of the day. The constantly jumping thoughts have reduced and I feel calmer.
At this point, it looks like a good habit to establish. Let me see how things go.
(Photo by Robert Wnuk on Unsplash)
