Fellow ChicagoNow bloggers Beth, writer of Ups and Downs of a Yoga Mom, Nina, writer of You Know Neen, and Megan, writer of Stable Mable, and I are joining forces this week to practice self kindness with a smartphone detox.

Popsugar‘s smartphone detox, which is the detox plan we are following, is a simple weeklong exercise that includes one assignment each day taking just a few minutes.

Why should we and you take a smartphone detox? Simply put, most of us are addicted to our phones. They are an extension of us and go with us everywhere, including the bathroom. As I type this post, my phone is sitting on the sofa next to me and I’m glancing at tweets coming in about the Russian hacking situation and text messaging with my brother and a friend. CNN isn’t going to be calling for my reactions on the Russian hacking, so I probably don’t need to be as tuned in as I am.

Popsugar‘s detox plan:

Monday: Unfollow people who aren’t your real friends, unsubscribe from unwanted email lists, and delete apps you don’t use.

Tuesday: Turn off push notifications.

Wednesday: Resist the urge to look at your phone first thing in the morning.

Thursday: Set up a charging station outside of your bedroom, and don’t look at your phone an hour before bed.

Friday: Go out to dinner, and leave your phone at home.

Saturday: Spend the day not looking at or posting to social media.

Sunday: Turn off your smartphone for the entire day.

As I look at this list, I’m a little nervous. My phone is my alarm clock and I use guided meditations each night before sleep, which fall under the assignments for Wednesday and Thursday. I will probably switch Friday and Saturday because I’m going out on Saturday, but not Friday. Personalize your smartphone detox so that it works for you. It’s more important to do each step rather than follow the order.

Beth, Nina, Megan, and I are hoping that our smartphone detoxes will make us more present, less stressed, and happier.

Will you join us and share your results with us?

Check out all of my #Kindness2017 blog posts here.

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