{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"REPLAY #12: This Is a Smartphone & Social Media Intervention","description":" This is a \u201ctough love\u201d episode. Many of us are feeling overwhelmed, anxious, distracted and too busy. I think a lot of that can be alleviated by decreasing your smartphone usage and fighting against social media and digital addictions. It\u2019s time to take back our lives. It\u2019s time to take control of our schedules. In this episode, I lead you through several steps to cut back on digital distraction, partly inspired by Cal Newport\u2019s new book, \u201cDigital Minimalism.\u201d Let me take you back in time when baby boomers, Gen Xers and the Oregon Trail Generation can remember a time in our adult lives when smartphones and social media didn\u2019t exist\u2014and cellphones were just for calling people. As a kid in the 1980s, I would often whine, \u201cI\u2019m bored.\u201d And I just had to figure out what to do about that boredom. Now, no one is ever allowed to be bored. Instead, we reach for our smartphones. Boredom is highly underrated. Over the Memorial Day weekend, I bought Cal Newport\u2019s new book, \u201cDigital Minimalism.\u201d And I read it in 24 hours. Newport argues that you have to figure HOW you\u2019re going to spend your leisure time BEFORE you cut back on your digital life. If you just force yourself to put down the phone or not use social media at set times\u2014without a plan\u2014you\u2019ll be anxious and fidgety, not knowing what to do with yourself. I want to focus my leisure time on health, fitness and nutrition. I\u2019m making a plan to walk 10,000 steps several days a week and dusting off my bike to go for fun rides again. I culled my social media feeds, unfollowing most people on Instagram\u2014only keeping a few real-life friends\u2014and cutting my Twitter followings in half. I also dropped out of 27 Facebook groups! Who knew I was in so many?! I\u2019m focusing on two that are particularly interesting, educational and inspiring, with a true community feel. Cal Newport also talks about the importance of solitude. He says there\u2019s this myth that solitude means being physically alone, but what it really means is freeing up your mind. We all need this. You may have to actually schedule solitude and downtime until it becomes more of a habit again. Your tough love, digital intervention marching orders: Start tracking your time. Decide how you want to spend your leisure or down time. Learn more about habit formation. Start decluttering your digital world. Biz Bite: Assigning ringtones to important people. Resources: The Oregon Trail Generation Cal Newport\u2019s book \u201cDigital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World\u201d Episode 5 of Deliberate Freelancer: Track Your Time for Better Efficiency Episode 10 of Deliberate Freelancer, which talks about Cal Newport\u2019s book \u201cDeep Work\u201d: Think Like a Marketer to Grow Your Business, with Megy Karydes Episode 2 of Deliberate Freelancer about cutting out tasks and outsourcing: Discover Your Unique Brilliance Episode 3 of Deliberate Freelancer: Host a Solo Business Retreat The Freelance Content Marketing Writer Facebook group She Podcasts Facebook group James Clear\u2019s book \u201cAtomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones\u201d Gretchen Rubin\u2019s book \u201cBetter than Before: What I Learned about Making and Breaking Habits\u2014to Sleep More, Quit Sugar, Procrastinate Less, and Generally Build a Happier Life\u201d ","author_name":"Deliberate Freelancer","author_url":"http:\/\/deliberatefreelancer.com","html":"