Create a bedtime routine for your technology
Dec 30, 2018by Sophia Ruan Gushée
Creating a home base, or technology station, to organize my family's technology is helping to draw some ground rules in my home: all devices to home base at night to charge, power down devices, or even just disable WiFi and Bluetooth for the night.
5 benefits of designating technology to its home base
- A technology home ameliorates concerns about digital addiction, EMF exposures, and emotional wellness from social media. I find that this house rule (it takes constant reinforcing) helps address a lot of other technology challenges, like technology addiction, my concerns with unnecessary EMF exposures, and social media concerns. It compartmentalizes technology from important moments in our lives, like when we sleep. And, will you really miss being near them and having them on when you're sleeping?
- Home becomes more relaxing. Having a designated home for technology and a house rule to put technology to home base at designated times (like bedtime) helps home feel relaxing. It's nice to avoid seeing digital devices and related cords (power cords and ear phones) scattered throughout the home. That visual contributes to feelings of chaos. And out of sight is out of mind. This means fewer conversations (or battles) with family members about limits on technology.
- This facilitates restorative downtime and higher quality connection. In addition to requiring technology to go to home base at bedtime, you can require the same during mealtime. That's not so threatening, right? Benefits from implementing this mealtime rule: more presence and higher quality connection. Children (and adults) benefit greatly from family meals: Mainly from the stories and conversations they get to experience with their parents and siblings.
- This reduces unnecessary EMF exposures. This house rule will hack you and your loved ones' unnecessary EMF exposures, and position you to experience the benefits mentioned above. Plus, you'll reduce your risks to a long list of health concerns from our current EMF exposures.
- Develop health technology habits. Last, this rule helps bring more awareness to our technology addictions. By compartmentalizing technology, this helps bring more intention to when you are connected to your devices. If you have children living at home, this may help them make more informed lifestyle choices when they grow up and leave home.
Below is an example of a technology charging station that is available on Amazon. I keep it in our kitchen pantry (a closet would be good too).
Conclusion
Technology has changed our lives dramatically in recent decades. While this has brought countless benefits, developing a balanced relationship with our digital devices and the digital world wil help our physical, mental, and emotional wellness. One easy tip is to establish a home base for your home's wireless devices and a nightly routine to power them down. Another simple challenge is to start with placing your wireless devices to this home base during meal times. Take the time you need to establish this routine. It may be a lifelong habit to reinforce. But it can open you and your loved ones to more fulfilling connection, contentment, restoration, peace, and better sleep!
Join the next #AirplaneModeChallenge!
If you're ready for another simple tweak, join my next #AirplaneModeChallenge. It is a FREE 7-night challenge to experiment with whether you will sleep better if you turn your cell phone to airplane mode, assuming you keep it in your bedroom and don't turn it off.
Click here to register: #AirplaneModeChallenge. Below is more from my Instagram post (follow me on Instagram!).
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