How A 10-Day Screen Free Challenge Can Help You

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Have you ever considered a screen free challenge? Maybe you desire your spouse or kids to step away from their screens long enough to look you in the eye? Perhaps you prefer to be more present in the moment rather than absorbed on a social media site?

Let’s be honest. We all have days where we would like to take every electronic device we own and chuck them out the nearest window. Unfortunately, we all would be hunting for those same devices within five minutes because we need them.

Recently my husband and I completed a 10-day screen free challenge together. Since our kids only get screen time by looking over our shoulders, they were along for the ride as well. 🙂 For transparency’s sake, my screen time usually averages at 2.5 to 3 hours a day. That is mostly on my phone but on weekends my screen time is also on the television.

Decide Your Reasons

Really quick, before you read the benefits, I will say that you need to decide your reason for taking the challenge. Personally, my husband and I have been considering how to fast from certain things besides food. Screens were an obvious option for us. Our reason was to use those 10 days to honor God by spending more time interacting as a family through games, walks, and read alouds.

Pick your reason why before you start a challenge or you will find yourself much more frustrated with those down times. 

Perhaps you are wondering what benefits might occur if you shut down the devices in your life for a few days?

Below are just a few of the benefits that could happen.

 

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Benefits From Taking A 10 Day Screen Free Challenge

 

More Free Time

This might seem super obvious but when we cut out all screens, we freed up at least an hour plus of our time each day. What might seem like a few minutes of scrolling, one television show, and a quick check of email all add up throughout the day. I was shocked how much time we redeemed during the screen free challenge!

 

Better Sleep

Want to know when I scroll on my devices and watch television? Right before bed. Once we removed these options, I was shocked how early we managed to get to sleep each evening. And I can definitely say I had a better quality sleep. With four kids, I will not claim I slept more. But when I was woke up by a kid, it was much easier to fall right back asleep. Let’s call that a win! 🙂

 

Early Rising

This ties in pretty closely with better sleep. It might not be a surprise but when we rested better, our bodies woke us up earlier. Watching the sunrise while reading my Bible in the quiet was exceptionally satisfying. The whole day had a better start and I was more prepared to get things accomplished after waking up earlier.

 

Lingering After Meals

Ever notice that some kids take 5.2 seconds to finish a meal and others about 2 hour and 27 minutes? Or maybe that is only my kids…

Anyways, while we were taking the screen free challenge, I noticed my husband and I lingering at the table after we had finished our meals. Rather than rush the kids to eat and get going, we would lean back and chat for a few minutes while the slow poke eaters took their time eating. It was relaxing to not sense urgency to answer a text message or check an email.

 

Reading Throughout The Day

Normally, if there is a 5 minute window of waiting on something at the house, I would switch on social media and scroll.

Kids taking forever to put on their shoes “by myself”? Scroll.

Laundry needs to fluff? Scroll. 

Waiting for the water to boil for the spaghetti noodles? Scroll.

Well, I still had those awkward moments of downtime but instead of scrolling, I grabbed a book and read. In ten days, I finished more books than I had completed in the entire month prior! 

As an avid reader, I never realized how much screen time had stolen from my reading world. I loved reclaiming those stolen moments reading books!

 

Suggested Articles For You:

The Best Books Every Christian Woman Should Read

Six Books That Will Train You How To Defend Your Christian Faith

 

Playing More Games

My husband doesn’t just have the Instagram title, Gameschooling Dad for nothing. We love games!

There are very rare days that go by when we do not play games as a family. However, we found ourselves playing shorter games or games just by ourselves rather than with the kids in the evening.

Our reason? So we had more time to catch an extra tv show before bedtime. Yeah, not good…

When we cut out screens, our game time doubled which meant we grabbed bigger games for us to play. And we were more willing to invite the kids to stay up with us to play. We weren’t rushing to finish a game so we had time to watch our screens. 

And much like with reading, we found ourselves playing games during the day too. On hubby’s days off, we would get through five games sometimes. It was awesome!

Plus, I noticed my brain didn’t feel so shut-down after a game like it had after binge watching tv shows. My brain had worked while my body had rested. The extra game time really invigorated me.

 

 

 

Completing House hold Chores More Efficiently

Household chores with kids is never ending. There is always another load of laundry, trash to take out, dishes to clean, meal to prep, etc. During those ten days, I found that I wasn’t nearly as stressed or “behind” when doing my daily household tasks. Without screens to distract, I would complete the tasks quickly and they were done as they will be done in our home. 🙂

It was nice to find spare minutes in my day for extra games or reading then because I had completed the daily tasks quicker.

 

Avoiding The Comparison Trap

Whenever I spend much time on social media, I fall into the comparison trap. My house is older…could I make it look better like they did with that house? My garden could look cuter with this flower planted here or more efficient with this shade cloth there. My curriculum could be more organized in color-coded folders for the next homeschool year. 

Basically, I compared everything in my life to Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook posts.

The first few days, I was still thinking these things as I worked around the house. But as the days wore on, I found that I stopped comparing everything in my life to someone else’s. Shockingly, that brings a LOT of mental peace. And I found joy in what God has blessed us with and with what works for our family. 

As much as I love cleaning tips, tasty recipes, and handy organizational ideas that I find while scrolling, they can steal the joy I have for what is right in front of me.

Instead, open your Grandma’s cookbook and try an old recipe or actually spend time organizing a closet in a way that works for your family, not just so that it looks pretty. Don’t let comparisons keep you from doing well with what you have.

 

Being Present With My Kids

My kids are quietly playing in another room so I sneak onto my phone for a few quiet moments of blissful scrolling. Then, while watching the second reel, one of my precious kids needs something so they resort to standing a few inches from my face screeching, “MOM!!” Yeah, during those 10 days I realized how much I did NOT miss that scenario.

Sadly, it shocked me how much more present I was with my kids. My eyes were focused on them while they talked, and I found I was better ready to anticipate needs or see conflicts arise that would need me to step in. Since I was seeing the need instead of being screamed at after the need was already urgent, our family dynamic felt calmer and quieter.  

That is a benefit I want to definitely keep going!

 

Finding Contentment in The Moment

Life was crazy busy this summer, especially for me. After almost two months of my kids being sick, I was ready to get out and mingle socially. And boy did, I get my wish!

We ended up with something on our schedule for every single day of the month of June. Yeah, not the smartest planning on my part!

The quiet moments at home during June were easily savored during the 10 days with no screens. I didn’t rush to check messages or social media. Rather I took time to be alone with my thoughts. The introvert in me felt much more refreshed during down moments than when I scrolled.

 

Focusing Better During Bible Study And Prayer

Does your mind ever wonder to thinking about a tv show or memes that you saw recently.

My mind sometimes feels like it has a running feed of thoughts about what I have taken in through social media. And that happens even more so when I should be paying close attention to something, like my daily Bible study or prayer time.

After a few days away from social media, that running commentary in my head that was fed by tv shows and social media quieted down. In fact, at times, I found my mind wondering to what I had read that morning in my Bible study time. It was wonderful to find myself naturally mulling over and dwelling on God’s Word!

 

 

Closing Thoughts On Our Screen Free Challenge

Just like calories are a part of the foods we eat, screens are a part of our modern life. We can’t avoid them but we can make sure the intake of our calories and our screens are healthy and God-honoring.

As Christians, we must choose to allow the good of screens to be good while not allowing them to become idols or controllers of our life.

For myself, taking set days off helps me reset and reevaluate my screen time usage. There are many perks to being able to locate deals on my local marketplace, discover a healthier recipe to try for supper, or even watch Christian content on YouTube. 

However, those perks quickly can become idols and time thieves. Take time to set aside your screens and refocus on the Lord and His Word.  It will surprise you what benefits come from drawing away from the noise for a short time.

Once you are done, come back and leave a comment about how it went!

 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

 

 

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