KonMari Your Phone

Y'all. I think I might have cracked the code.

Lately, I've been REALLY struggling with my phone, especially Facebook. I'd find myself mindlessly scrolling through my newsfeed when there were so many other things I could be or needed to be doing.

It had gotten so bad I'd thought about setting a special code for the app but that required ANOTHER app and I wasn't up for that. I tried moving it out of the easy reach of my thumb. I tried turning off notifications. 

Nothing worked.

Come 11pm there'd I'd be laying in bed mindlessly scrolling.

I was JUST about to take a friend's advice to set Guided Access every time I opened the Facebook app when I read an article in the New York Times entitled Read This Story Without Distraction (Can You?) that lays out the case for single-tasking. This bit in particular caught my eye.  

““It’s a digital literacy skill,” said Manoush Zomorodi, the host and managing editor of WNYC Studios’ “Note to Self” podcast, which recently offered a weeklong interactive series called Infomagical, addressing the effects of information overload. “Our gadgets and all the things we look at on them are designed to not let us single-task. We weren’t talking about this before because we simply weren’t as distracted.””

The idea that single-tasking is a skill to be developed really appealed to me so I immediately signed up for the Infomagical series. I can't recommend the entire series enough but it was on Day Two that I learned one thing that changed EVERYTHING.

On Day Two, they teach you how to KonMari your PHONE.

When the host first announced the day's challenge, I actually exclaimed, "OHH!" 

We all know I love me some Marie Kondo and her KonMari method. Why hadn't I thought to apply to my digital life!?! 

The process is simple. You hold down the apps until they do that little jiggle dance. Then you go app by app and decide which app sparks joy... just like Marie Kondo recommends you do with your physical objects.

THEN - and this is key - you put every single app in one folder on your home screen.

Christopher Mims, whose article "The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up – Digitally" inspired this exercise, explains why this is important.

"By putting all of [your] apps into folders, you can search for them by name. What happens is your device becomes task-oriented, instead of the place [where] you go to be like, 'OK, what do I need to do next?'"

This was an A HA! moment for me immediately because this is what happened to my television viewing when we cancelled cable. No longer could I just turn on the TV and let it (or my DVR) lead me where I wanted to go next. Now, I have to decide what I want to watch so I can go find it on Netflix or Hulu or Amazon.

No joke I went from watching 1 to 2 hours of television a night to 1 to 2 hours of television a WEEK.

This approach made sense to me so I immediately KonMari'd my phone.

Every app (except my camera) into one folder.

Literally, five times within the first few hours I would click the home button habitually only for my thumb to drift up to... nothing. I'd realize there was nothing to mindlessly click, abruptly realize what I was doing, and shut down my phone.

I can't overstate the impact of that. I've tried so many times get control of my digital habits but it is difficult because I can't simply go cold-turkey or delete Facebook because of my work. Now, I have an ACTUAL solution that changes my behavior instead of depending on my will power.

It feels like a new day!

Do you struggle with information overload? Show me pics if you KonMari your phone!

5 things I learned in January

Dear 2016, Slow. Up. I just picked my word for the year and finished off my New Year's Eve champagne like five minutes ago and now it's two days until February!

Whew.

1. Planning your weekend on Wednesday WORKS.

I'd read this tip from Laura Vanderkam before but Nicholas and I committed to really trying it this month. I put a weekly reoccurring item on Todoist so every Wednesday I remember to ask the boys and Nicholas what they want to do that weekend. I spent a half an hour making a list of ideas in Evernote if we're feeling uninspired. It is fun to anticipate anything we've planned. Plus we've been able to do things important things we've wanted to do forever but that are always getting overwhelmed by more urgent things or require a bit of planning... like going to this awesome little restaurant.

2. Cheryl Strayed is a GENIUS.

I read Wild - the memoir that made Cheryl Strayed famous a few years ago and loved it. I knew she also wrote an advice column but didn't really think much of it until Modern Mrs. Darcy called the collection of those advice columns, Dear Sugar: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar, a book that would make you a better human. 

She was NOT kidding. I've been working my way through this book all month because the emotional punch every letter packs is too much to read them all quickly. To a woman who recently lost her baby she writes, "You have to live through it and love it and move on and be better for it and run as far as you can in the direction of your best and happiest dreams across the bridge that was built by your own desire to heal." And they are ALL as good and as big as that sentence. 

3. Action cures fear.

I did a big thing this month. I filed to run for public office. It was scary and intimidating and I spent a lot of time being afraid of doing it. But then I just DID IT and the forward momentum - as well as all the support and encouragement of those who love me most - carried me through it. And now I'm doing it and I realized you can't be afraid of something you've already done. Not to mention, you can't sit and worry if you're too busy doing shit that needs to be done because you DID THE THING. 

So, listen to me - whatever it is you're most afraid of - DO IT ANYWAY.

4. Freezer meals are LEGIT.

My husband spent the first weekend of the month. Prepping 30 meals to store in our deep freeze for us to eat throughout the month. It has been SO awesome. When we would previously just ordered pizza or eaten out, we've had a hot meal ready by turning on the crock pot! I PROMISE I'll have all the recipes ready soon but Nicholas insisted we actually eat the food and make sure they are good first. Spoiler: They've all been great so far!

5. These are EXACTLY as wonderful as everyone says they are. 

What did you learn in January?

What worked for me in 2015... and what didn't

The few days between Christmas and New Years are some of my favorite of the year. I love spending time reflecting on the past year and strategizing for the year to come. Last year I followed Modern Mrs. Darcy's lead and reflected on what worked during the past year and what didn't and I'm here doing it again for 2015!

What worked for me in 2015...

1. Podcasting 

Beth Silvers and I launched Pantsuit Politics this year and it has been so. much. fun. I've loved learning this new world (and sharing it with our Executive Producer - my husband!) I'd had the idea for a political podcast for a while but realized I didn't really want to do it by myself. Adding Beth and our "meet in the middle" format has been fantastic! We've been getting really positive feedback and just got major love from iTunes which has been so exciting. 

2. Reading more

As I shared last week, I've doubled the amount of books I read this year. What worked for increasing my reading load was deadlines and audiobooks. Deadlines either through reading with friends OR by reading library books that I know have to be returned. I've used the heck out of OverDrive, an app that allows you to check out audio books and e-books from your library and I LOVE it! 

3. Roomba & Chores

The Roomba is my MVP for 2015. I love it SO much. I realized I felt like my house was messy when my floors were messy. Now, even if my counters are dirty and my shelves are dusty, the Roomba keeps my carpets clean and I feel like I'm winning at life. This year I didn't just offload vacuuming. I also re-arranging my kitchen and my life to allow my kids to help with chores which has dramatically decreased my household load and my stress. 

4. Capsule Wardrobe

This fall - using unFancy's guidance - I built a capsule wardrobe of 37 items to carry me through the season. I bought a few new items and worked with several I already own. I LOVED it. I loved really thinking through items I could combine in different ways. While I liked having options, I really liked having fewer choices over all. I get decision fatigue very easily so not staring at a closet full of items that I didn't love or didn't fit or didn't go together stressed me out. Now that I have one season under my belt, I'll post more information and pics in January!

5. KonMari

I've said it before and I'll say it again - this book really is life-changing. Having fewer but better options - from my underwear drawer to my bookshelf - has made my life so much calmer and simpler and BETTER. 

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What DIDN'T work for me...

My One Little Word

Last year I chose vairagya and, while I still like the meaning of the word, a word in another language was hard to keep in the front of my mind. Going back to English this year...

Exercise

Ugh, I'm so bummed to have this on my didn't work for me list two years in a row. I tried squeezing in exercise where I could this year but I need to go back to my yoga classes - I do better with a outside schedule I have to stick to.

Playing it by ear 

With a new baby in 2015, I know I didn't have much a choice but to let Felix (and his sleep or lack thereof) predict much of our schedules. However, it left me scrambling and frustrated so much of the time. I realize I need to set an alarm and get up and set goals even if Felix woke me up in the night. Luckily, he's getting bigger every day and easier to take care of. So, here's to a more structured 2016!

What worked for you in 2015? What didn't?

6 Things I Learned in October

I'm participating in Emily P. Freeman's monthly What We Learned, a community link up where you "take some time to reflect on the last 30-ish days before moving ahead into the next."

In fact... I love this idea so much that I'm sharing what I've learned weekly in my Saturday morning email so subscribe if you haven't yet!

1.     Our evening routine needs work.

I spend so much time thinking about our morning routine – how to get a nutritious breakfast made, how to get us out the door on time, how to make sure we remember homework. I recently realized we have basically no evening routine, when I’m tired and really need one the most. Please fee free to share any evening routine tips!

2.     Getting out of a warm bed on a cold morning is HARD.

OK, I didn’t learn this as much as remember it.

3.     One-on-One time with my children is so special.

Griffin and I went on our first mother and son date to dinner and the symphony earlier this month and it was so wonderful to hear his thoughts on things and be able to converse without interruption!

4.     Never EVER take your vehicle to the dealer for repairs.

My van door had been sticking and grinding and/or refusing to shut all together. Since I had to take it to the dealership for a recall repair, I went ahead and asked them about the door. They charged me $60 to tell me it was going to cost $500. Instead, I took it to my local body mechanic for a second opinion. They charged me $120 to fix the door. No diagnostic fee.

5.     Chattanooga is FABULOUS!

I can’t believe I’ve driven through this charming town for years without stopping for a visit. We spent a few days over fall break exploring this Tennessee river town and we are smitten. There were TONS of kid-friendly activities (including but not limited to a Children’s Museum and Aquarium), great food, and public art. The people were friendly. The streets were pedestrian-friendly. We will be back.

6.     Periscope is easy to fire up but not easy to master.

I participated in several of Blog Clarity’s #persiscopewithpurpose prompts over the past month. I love the idea of live streaming. I love that you can interact in such an unfiltered, unedited way. However, figuring out what works and what doesn’t is more difficult. I did an Ask Me Anything session where literally NO ONE showed up and I talked awkwardly at my face for 15 minutes. In other words, when it comes to Periscope, I learned I have lots left to learn.