Tag: Time

Finding 1 Hour for Silence Each Week

Finding 1 Hour of Silence Each Week

This week, I listened to another great podcast. It was an interview conducted by Ken Coleman with Carlos Whittaker in the Front Row Seat podcast, linked here.

Highly recommend a listen!

The reason I listened wasn’t because I knew who Carlos Whittaker was. I didn’t. Rather, it was the title of the interview, Simple Daily Habits to Get Years of Your Life Back. My interest was piqued.

Who doesn’t want more time back in your life?

This conversation would be about Carlos’ journey with the amount of time spent on his phone.

He was spending 7 hours a day on his phone. Calculate that out…that’s 49 hours a week! That’s a full-time job! In his calculations, he discovered that maintaining this rate would lead to spending 10 years of his remaining life on his phone!

We can all be convicted about how much screen time we have each day. I know I can. My current rate is around 4 hours a day. I’d like to improve this to no more than 3 hours a day, maybe even less.

What is your daily screen time rate?

Carlos shares the extreme measures he took to re-center and reconnect his life. This includes living with monks and then an Amish family for a while!

As the interview progressed, Carlos recommended that everyone find one (1) hour each week for total silence. He gave the example of finding a park bench and sitting there with no phone. Take nothing to read. Just sit in silence. One (1) hour each week, that’s it.

He re-discovered, when he put his phone down, how much we’ve lost the art to wonder and be curious when we can Google the answer to any question in a split second. We’ve forgotten how to notice and be aware because our phones have all our attention.

I’m also a big believer in silence and stillness. I was excited that Carlos encouraged this practice!

When I share that I have attended 2 silent retreats, people often look at me like I’m crazy. But, what I have found is that silence and stillness are tools for navigating the modern world. The modern world is never quiet.

You can watch a video I made about attending Awaken Silent Retreat here.

We weren’t designed to consume so much information or to be available to everyone all the time.

The question to ask yourself is, “What am I missing?”

What are you missing by never allowing yourself a moment of

  • reflection
  • silence
  • wonder
  • curiosity?

What are you missing by allowing your phone to have all your attention?

What are you missing by filling every second with something?

What would happen if you had that 1 hour of silence every week?

What might be available for you in the hour of silence?

The truth is you don’t know until you try it. You won’t know until you try it as a practice.

Prompt: Try practicing 1 hour of silence each week for a month. Then, re-evaluate.

After listening to the podcast, I went for a walk. I walk every evening in my neighborhood.

I decided to bring my phone, but keep it in my pocket.

Notifications off.

No listening to music.

No listening to a podcast.

No talking on the phone.

No texting.

Just walk and silence.

What I found was that my mind was going 90 miles an hour. I was thinking about ALL the things I wanted to get done or needed to get done. I was making a to do list in my mind.

But after 15 minutes of walking in silence, my mind got quieter. And by the end of the walk, my to do list wasn’t important. I had downshifted.

I noticed a beautiful home for sale in my neighborhood. I also observed wild ducks perched in trees and even on top of roofs.

What would I have missed if I continued to use my phone while on my walk instead of choosing silence?

I would have missed the chance to downshift from my busy day.

I would have missed the chance to let the to-do list float away.

I would have missed smiling at the silly, wild ducks on top of roofs.

I would have missed a chance to allow myself to relax.

Our world is filled with distractions. The world is not going to allow you to not be distracted.

That’s your choice. You get to choose.

You get to decide on electing a little bit of silence in your life instead of more distraction.

If this is a goal you’d like to incorporate in your life. I can help with that!

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Thank you for your response. ✨

8 Ways to Have an Affordable Holiday Season

Find this article also published in the Tishomingo County News.

Is it just me or has life become expensive? Recently on a grocery trip, I spent $55.40 for only 10 items, the majority of which were vegetables! What in the world?! When prices continue to rise and our paychecks aren’t keeping up, something must give. Ready or not, now the holidays are upon us. Maybe you don’t have money to spend on presents this year. That’s ok. Let’s explore ways we can keep costs down this holiday season.

First, if you need to scale back gift giving, let your friends and family know. Be upfront, be honest. Even if it feels vulnerable, do it anyway. Who knows, it might bring a sigh of relief to your friends and family because they are feeling the pinch too. See…your bravery in being honest has already been a gift for your friends and family!

Let’s focus on what we can do instead of what we cannot do, shall we?

1.     Name drawing – everyone’s name goes into a bowl, and you draw one person in which to purchase a gift. Ground rules would need to be set, such as max dollar amount for the gift. Make sure the ground rule maker knows what your budget is to help manage expectations.

2.     Potluck meals – if you are normally the host or hostess of a holiday meal, ask your guests to bring drinks, sides, desserts, appetizers, etc. This might add extra effort in organizing to cover all the bases of the meal, but organizing is FREE and the payoff is you aren’t incurring the full expense of the meal.

3.     Handwritten letters – when was the last time you received a handwritten letter? When was the last time you wrote one? Texting, emails, and posts on social media are what is considered communication these days. What if you wrote a letter to your son or daughter telling them how you’ve witnessed them grow this year? What if you wrote your mom or dad a letter reminiscing about memories and how you think of them? Handwritten letters are priceless! It means that you took time out of your busy schedule and thought of them.

4.     Draw/Art – do you like to doodle or have an artistic knack? Do you have access to pencils, crayons, colored pencils, markers, paint, etc.? Why not draw your friend or family member a picture? Before you dismiss this idea, it is like handwritten letters in that you took time and drew from your talents for someone special in your life. While growing up in Iuka, there was an elderly lady that was a member of the Iuka Church of Christ. I believe her name was Lenile Archer. Every birthday I received a postcard from her. On one side was a written happy birthday message and on the other side was beautiful art that she had drawn. Even as a young child, I knew how special it was to receive one of her works of art.

5.     Gift certificates – not the ones that you are thinking. These gift certificates will not cost money. Who on your Christmas list is a new parent? Could you offer babysitting services to give mom or mom and dad some time for errands or a date night? Do you have a skill that someone could benefit? Do you know how to fix mechanical issues on a car? Do you know how to do simple home repairs? Know how to wash a car? Your gift certificate would be for your time and skill to help your loved one.

6.     Experiences – do you know how to make a great cup of coffee? What about a signature meal or dessert? Is there someone in your life that you’d like to spend more time or catch-up with? Your great cup of coffee or dinner or dessert would be a setup for quality time with your friend or family member. Invite them over or bring your goodies to them to have great conversation and reconnect.

7.     Photos – when was the last time you printed a photo? How many are on your phone? Who on your Christmas list would love to have the special moment you captured on camera either from years ago or recently? Dollar Tree has inexpensive frames last time I checked.

8.     Volunteer together – as we feel like our dollars aren’t going as far as they used to, one of the best ways to move our minds off our present circumstances is to help others. There are many ways to serve our communities. Look to your local churches to serve a family in need. Look to your local animal shelters to donate your time. Visit your local nursing home to sit with someone that may not have loved ones close by anymore.

Money is a resource. Time is also a resource. Sometimes there is more and sometimes less. Look for the blessings regardless. Less money requires creativity. Think outside the gift box. You might be surprised when you don’t miss the number of presents under the tree. The time and experiences that you’ve created instead of buying them will be tucked away in your memories for far longer than the latest gadget fad. All of us have limited time with our loved ones. Many of the suggestions listed are based upon time. Time is an investment. Is fighting crowds to find a gift how you’d like to spend it? Or endless time online shopping? We only have so much face-to-face time with the people on our Christmas lists that we won’t get back. Choose and spend your scarce resources wisely.