Three Ways of Enhancing Your Quality Time Without Gadgets

When I was talking to my children while I cooked dinner, I felt guilty. I made a mental note of what I wanted to pack for lunchboxes, and tried to recall the conversation. But, I discovered that you were in autopilot mode and didn’t hear them. Digital noise makes it difficult to find out about our children’s school activities and daily antics.

Technology has made it impossible to communicate face-to-face. We have easy access to the outside world and we are prone to voyeuristic behaviors. Instead of spending time finding out how someone is feeling, we check what’s happening to them on social media. This is something I have done and I had to learn a few rules to be able to spend quality time with my children. These rules can be followed and modified if necessary if you don’t have children. The main thing is to turn off technology.

 

  • From 7pm to bedtime, turn off your phone. You won’t be tempted to look at that adorable cat dance or the hilarious clip from someone on vine when your phone/iPad/laptop are off.
  • Interactive or silent reading: The whole family can sit down and read a book together or individually. It serves two purposes. First, it encourages reading habits and time spent together. It expands the mind and stimulates imagination, which leads to creativity.
  • Wednesday Board session – Every Wednesday, we play a board game before going to bed. It is addictive and fun.

The exercises I tried in the past 3 weeks have all worked. However, the reading was definitely a success. The reason board sessions have not worked is because I am responsible for chaperoning children to activities at night. What can you do to get away from the outside world? Do you feel that these are the challenges we face? Are you able to ignore the digital noise? How can you reduce the noise and make time for reflection and rest? As I am sure that there are many other activities that can be added to my list, I will continue to find new ones. Until next time…

Add a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *