No Tech Thursday...

No Tech Day 
(WHAT?!?)
It may or may not come as a surprise to you that the Williams Family  live a bit different than most. 
Most days I think that is okay- I mean, the  great came from ordinary or average right? 
We don’t have Cable TV, we workout out- A LOT, we eat different, sleep more, don’t watch sports games on TV and spend a TON of time together. 

Well, we did an experiment- and the results surprised the crap out of me!! 
Let me explain...

Every summer Sheldon and I talk and plan about what the kids will “do” during summer break. Of course the typical yearly traditions are on that list; camping, pool, lake, friends, family and of course the CrossFit Games! But every year we want to teach and model age appropriate life skills as well as contribute to our home and community. Each year we draft chore charts, summer fun lists and have some sort of limitation on their screen time.
THIS year we changed it up a bit.
*Maya and Qadry had chores to do each day; some chores are everyday chores and some certain chores were set for specific days. (See picture below)
*They had to work together who was going to do what #teamwork! 
*AND one day each week has ABSOLUTELY NO SCREENS! 
Yep- NO SCREENS- none.

If you know Sheldon at all… you know that lives daily to a code of effort, structure and leading by example. SOOOOOOO…… if we expect our kids to not use screens then that means no screens for all of us!
Now. I won’t tell you that I was 100% on board with this ( I mean… I own and manage my own business right?! I NEED to have my phone) 
But I was instantly struck with how fiercely I wanted to be able to use my phone. I had a million reasons (excuses really) of why I needed to be able to have access to it. However, I also wanted to show and model to our kiddos that relationships, communication and LIFE are best when in real time. This is what we came up with...

GROUND RULES:
1- NO SCREENS. For an entire day, no screens. No Netflix, no video games, no phones, no facebook, no computers. 

2- I would allow myself 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes in the afternoon to check and respond to emails, texts, messages and phone calls relating to our gym only. (For example-the power went out at the gym last week… meh!)

3- No screen day will be on Thursday each week. Why Thursday? Thursday is typically the day that we live what I like to call “normal people."
I don’t typically go into the gym, Sheldon coaches minimally that day and it is the day during the week that we eat supper like other humans and not at 8:30 pm. Sunday is our family day of rest, but Thursdays have become our “mini-family day.” 

WHAT HAPPENED?!
The first week I had to literally power my phone off and put it away. I was surprised and a little irritated with myself that I wanted to check it ALL THE TIME! 
When I did check my emails during my allotted time I was tempted to check social media after I did my gym maintenance. I realized pretty quickly how much valuable time I did spend scrolling through my multiple social media accounts. 
I also discovered  that I needed to draft a list of items to do without screens for my next Thursday! 
My house was clean, I started crafts, I finished projects I was putting off and I read A LOT! I found myself more relaxed, more productive and more...present. The next few Thursdays were much of the same- relaxed, productive, present. I prepped all of my “to do” items so that I was using my 30 minutes as efficiently as possible. In fact, I am pen and paper writing this so that I can type it later! 
The kids and I planned little trips to the store, library, bank, walks. We played cribbage, Clue and  I found myself looking forward to it. This time of being present.

WHAT DID I LEARN?!
I check my phone way too much.
I waste a lot of time scrolling through social media watching what other people are doing. 
I FEEL better when I am not in front of a screen.
I use my time to do, learn and reflect.
My family is pretty great and it's so much fun to have a day set aside for us!
I personally have found that I have come to need it to focus and recharge myself so that I can be my best self.


SO WHAT?!
You should TOTALLY TRY IT!!!
I will tell you that it seems to have had a bigger effect on us as adults than it has for our kids and this experiment is not for the faint of heart!! 
But I have found that I use my phone less and less on other days too.
Now, I’m not saying you should drop all tech and use carrier pigeons ( I REALLY do not like birds, so….. That isn’t happening!)
You could do a day without screens like us, do a “no screens” after 5 pm, no more than “x” amount of time on your phone… whatever you choose- stick with it for a month. 
See how you feel, note how many times you are drawn to the screen and plan to “do” instead of watch. Good luck all!
I am excited to hear what your results are!
~Sara