5 Things To Do Instead Of Being On Your Phone

A few weeks ago, I was sitting in our dining room on my laptop working (maybe… we all know how distracting the internet is) when all of the sudden, we lost power in the entire house. We don’t lose it that often, and when we do it’s usually because of the heat in SoCal (and everyone running their AC’s). But it was a perfect spring day, so I figured it was some maintenance thing and waited a tiny bit before I started to panic. 10 minutes later I realized it was time to panic. I mean, I couldn’t charge my phone , or my laptop, we didn’t have internet, and if I used my hotspot, my phone was going to die. I couldn't stream music and I couldn’t obsessively check my email. I sat there and was like, WHAT AM I GOING TO DO ALL DAY?? I could’ve easily driven into the office or to a coffee shop, but that involved putting on real clothes, etc. so that was going to be a no from me that day. After a little research on my phone (and not on WiFi, which is torture because everything takes so long), it ended up that we missed the note saying our power would be off that day due to maintenance until 10pm.

The point of this overly dramatic recap of that day is that it got me thinking how much I, and I’m sure many of you, rely on the internet. And not just to do actual work, but to distract us for even 30 seconds of having nothing to do. For example, heating up your coffee in the microwave for 40 seconds? Check instagram. Mindlessly eating your lunch? Check emails. We’ve gotten used to the constant stream of information and entertainment and if we don’t have it for literally less than a minute, we don’t know what to do with ourselves. Go ahead and try to eat a meal by yourself with no tv, music, or internet. Can you even do it?

While I ended up getting a generator out that day so that I could continue working, it made me think about how I spend my time outside of work (if that is even a thing). There is always some sort of technology involved. So, in an effort to really disconnect every now and then, I wanted to come up with a few things we could do to stay off of our phones and create, try something new, and maybe even forget to look at our phones for a few hours.

What To Do Instead Of Staring At Your Phone | A Fabulous Fete

No. 1 - Try a new recipe. I used to have a little series on my blog, many years ago, and I would try a new recipe every weekend, then share how it went. Trying new things in the kitchen can be really time consuming, so I sort of dropped that habit and opted for store bought items, I guess so that I could spend more time staring at the internet instead? I don’t know. I’d love to get back into this and even bring Ryan, my husband, in to try new dinners, cocktails, etc.

No. 2 - Pick up some fresh flowers and place them around your home. This is a no brainer for me. It’s the one thing that I absolutely love doing. Plus you get to enjoy them for the full week ahead!

Stop being on your phone all the time, what to do instead| A Fabulous Fete

No. 3 - Marie Kondo a spot you’ve been avoiding. Once I commit to organizing a space like my closet, or a set of drawers, I can lose myself for hours. This is truly the one thing that will make me forget to look at any device. A few weekends ago I did this to our dresser. I googled the KonMari folding method and started folding everything. It was great for a while but I think I need to spend a little time catching up since our laundry is currently covering the couch;)

No. 4 - Start a mini garden, or maintain one that you have. If you follow on instagram, then you’ve probably seen a bit of our home renovation and how we added an herb and vegetable garden. While this has not been the easiest (I’m still trying to figure out how to keep things alive!), it has actually been a great way for me to disconnect. I love going out there after work or anytime on the weekends to tidy or trim what needs to be taken care of. It’s one of my favorite ways to spend a weekend morning instead of my old favorite which was sitting on the couch with my phone. Plus it’s so satisfying to be able to eat something you grew at home!

Put Your Phone Down + Do These Things Instead | A Fabulous Fete

No. 5 - Rearrange accessories in your home. Being productive on my weekends is something I love and something I hate at the same time. So doing this makes me feel like I did something around the house, but doesn’t leave me feeling like I didn’t relax or have any downtime. With renovations in our home we are constantly shuffling things from room to room. So rearranging and getting things organized has become a weekly occurrence. I don’t mind though. Switching up little accessories and making our home feel fresh and tidy for the week ahead really does bring me joy. I love giving myself a challenge to pull things from around the house to change up a specific space.

Now I’m realizing these are really just my favorite things to do on the weekend. Add a glass of wine to any of these activities and you won’t be able to pay me to get back on my phone;)