I'd be curious to hear about screen sabbaticals from people with corporate jobs???? I work in HR supporting 800+ employees. My company frequently does acquisitions for which I help integrate 50-200 new employees into a new company they didn't choose to join. I also support employee benefits and this is the primary reason I'm not comfortable abandoning my phone altogether. If someone has a major health event and needs help maneuvering insurance, it's important that I'm available. But I also HAVE to be on screens for at least 8 hours a day.
I've given up social media for Lent a few times and it's fine, but I don't feel some back-to-the-world connection from doing so. I do feel like a better human, though. I will also add that I live on 20 acres with my husband (no kids), have 6 dogs, 2 horses a cat and a pony. I ride pretty much every day. I take riding lessons every weekend. I mow a LOT of grass. I do a lot of tending to the health needs of critters. Maybe this is part of why I don't feel like I need the cleanse as much as others do, but help a girl out. How does this work with a demanding corporate job? I will also add that I LOVE my job. Love. Love. Love it. I love supporting and helping leaders. I love problem solving. I love talking to people and learning about them. My employees are spread from California to Virginia and I'm based in Texas so I do travel a fair amount for work.
This is one of my favorite subjects! I work a corporate job in industrial property management and also am on a computer 8 hours a day and at times need to be available for emergencies. Over the last year my screen breaks have looked different depending on what is going on with my life and work. I think that is the key to taking screen breaks. I have different tools that I use to benefit me as I am able. I think with the job that I have if I am using single use tools it helps a ton. Here is what it looks like right now:
- Light Phone II- I switch from my smartphone to the Light Phone II on Fridays at 6:30pm and I switch back to my smartphone Sunday evening around 8pm. I love the Light Phone because I can still text, group text, receive links and photos (they are forwarded to my email), and listen to podcasts. It has the modern conviences that I enjoy daily. It is an adjustment but, I have look forward to it each week. People can reach me if they need but without the smart phone suck zone.
- Bloom Card- I utilize this if it is a busier time at work and I sometimes use that while in the office in order to do deep work. I turn off the apps that keep sucking me into my phone. That looks different for everyone.
- Real Cameras: The Light Phone II does not have a camera. On the weekends I use either a older restored Nikon digital camera, Camp Snap digital camera or a film camera. I got the Nikon and a Pentax film camera from Cute Camera Co. They are based on Austin and they restore old digital camera and film cameras. The Camp Snap is a screen free digital camera. It looks like a disposable camera that I took to church camp every summer.
- Freewrite Alpha: This device is key board with a little LCD screen. You type up a draft or anything really and the device sends it to your email. I got this during a warehouse sale and I have started using it for meetings notes in the office and it has become my journal. It helps me to focus on the task at hand.
That was long winded and hopefully it was helpful!
Lacey, thank you for sharing all this! I found it super helpful — my kids have Wisephones and I really like them; I’ve heard good things about the Lightphone, too.
Thanks for the link to the book recs! Added lots of them to my "holds" list at the library! Question about your tech/screen break for summer- When you take off the internet, does that include not checking email at all for the whole month/break? Does that also include not online shopping and not researching things on the internet? I am intrigued and want to try it this summer!
My husband and I just returned from the Netherlands two days ago, and during the first couple of days I tried not to use my phone when I wasn't on Wifi because I didn't want to pay the fee per day for using it in a foreign country. But alas, I finally had to use it for maps and also the train app. Ugh. I did not enjoy having to use it for all of that, but it seemed almost impossible not to use the train app to get around.
Correct — no email checking! …But I’ll have my assistant check the inbox about once a week just to glance and make sure there’s nothing truly urgent (there almost never is.) Those who really need to reach me know how to do so.
I'd be curious to hear about screen sabbaticals from people with corporate jobs???? I work in HR supporting 800+ employees. My company frequently does acquisitions for which I help integrate 50-200 new employees into a new company they didn't choose to join. I also support employee benefits and this is the primary reason I'm not comfortable abandoning my phone altogether. If someone has a major health event and needs help maneuvering insurance, it's important that I'm available. But I also HAVE to be on screens for at least 8 hours a day.
I've given up social media for Lent a few times and it's fine, but I don't feel some back-to-the-world connection from doing so. I do feel like a better human, though. I will also add that I live on 20 acres with my husband (no kids), have 6 dogs, 2 horses a cat and a pony. I ride pretty much every day. I take riding lessons every weekend. I mow a LOT of grass. I do a lot of tending to the health needs of critters. Maybe this is part of why I don't feel like I need the cleanse as much as others do, but help a girl out. How does this work with a demanding corporate job? I will also add that I LOVE my job. Love. Love. Love it. I love supporting and helping leaders. I love problem solving. I love talking to people and learning about them. My employees are spread from California to Virginia and I'm based in Texas so I do travel a fair amount for work.
Yes, I’d love to hear from those not self-employed and/or freelancers if they do some version of a screen break! That’d be fascinating to read.
Hey Tara,
This is one of my favorite subjects! I work a corporate job in industrial property management and also am on a computer 8 hours a day and at times need to be available for emergencies. Over the last year my screen breaks have looked different depending on what is going on with my life and work. I think that is the key to taking screen breaks. I have different tools that I use to benefit me as I am able. I think with the job that I have if I am using single use tools it helps a ton. Here is what it looks like right now:
- Light Phone II- I switch from my smartphone to the Light Phone II on Fridays at 6:30pm and I switch back to my smartphone Sunday evening around 8pm. I love the Light Phone because I can still text, group text, receive links and photos (they are forwarded to my email), and listen to podcasts. It has the modern conviences that I enjoy daily. It is an adjustment but, I have look forward to it each week. People can reach me if they need but without the smart phone suck zone.
- Bloom Card- I utilize this if it is a busier time at work and I sometimes use that while in the office in order to do deep work. I turn off the apps that keep sucking me into my phone. That looks different for everyone.
- Real Cameras: The Light Phone II does not have a camera. On the weekends I use either a older restored Nikon digital camera, Camp Snap digital camera or a film camera. I got the Nikon and a Pentax film camera from Cute Camera Co. They are based on Austin and they restore old digital camera and film cameras. The Camp Snap is a screen free digital camera. It looks like a disposable camera that I took to church camp every summer.
- Freewrite Alpha: This device is key board with a little LCD screen. You type up a draft or anything really and the device sends it to your email. I got this during a warehouse sale and I have started using it for meetings notes in the office and it has become my journal. It helps me to focus on the task at hand.
That was long winded and hopefully it was helpful!
Lacey, thank you for sharing all this! I found it super helpful — my kids have Wisephones and I really like them; I’ve heard good things about the Lightphone, too.
Good to know about the Wisephone. I am looking at those for my soon to be teenage boys. It is awesome that there are so many options now.
Very interesting! What is the Bloom Card for? And can you reply to email in the Freewrite Alpha?
Do you stay off phone and laptop entirely during screen breaks?
I don't know if you can private message in Substack, but I'd love to hear more about the details of how this works.
Thanks for the link to the book recs! Added lots of them to my "holds" list at the library! Question about your tech/screen break for summer- When you take off the internet, does that include not checking email at all for the whole month/break? Does that also include not online shopping and not researching things on the internet? I am intrigued and want to try it this summer!
My husband and I just returned from the Netherlands two days ago, and during the first couple of days I tried not to use my phone when I wasn't on Wifi because I didn't want to pay the fee per day for using it in a foreign country. But alas, I finally had to use it for maps and also the train app. Ugh. I did not enjoy having to use it for all of that, but it seemed almost impossible not to use the train app to get around.
Correct — no email checking! …But I’ll have my assistant check the inbox about once a week just to glance and make sure there’s nothing truly urgent (there almost never is.) Those who really need to reach me know how to do so.