Web Catch of the Week: The Most Important Routine of My Day
In our last blog post, Pheaney outlined the importance of establishing routines that work in order to help us focus on the important parts of life. This got me thinking about one of the most important routines of the day - what I do when I get up in the morning. If you’re like me (and 90% of all 18-30 year-olds), you check your smartphone within the first 15 minutes of waking up. What I fill my mind with from the minute I get up affects the rest of my day. It also reveals the attitude and longings of my heart. This week I challenged myself to answer these two questions:
How does checking my phone fit into my morning routine?
Why do I go online immediately after waking up?
Tony Reinke outlines Six Wrong Reasons to Check Your Phone in the Morning in his post on DesiringGod.org. As I read through the list, I found myself convicted about the number of reasons I tend to go directly to my smartphone in the morning. I frequently check my phone for entertainment or to get the latest news. But let’s face it, I don’t need to know what people said about the Minnesota Vikings the second I wake up. Reinke also gives us three reasons why we need our mornings to connect with God. Think of what a difference it could make to start a day by getting into God’s Word instead of getting distracted by emails, Facebook, or the news!
I also found an article on the tech website cnet.com that gives some easy steps to keep our mornings cell phone free. Even once I realized that my phone habits were hurting my morning routine, I still found it easy to rationalize immediately reaching for my phone when I wake up. The author, Sarah Mitroff, calls out some common excuses for keeping your phone near you at all times. One of my favorites: "I don't want to be out of reach in case of a late-night emergency." Check out the article to see how she answers that objection.
In our technology-driven world, it may sound ridiculous to move away from your smartphone. Take some time to assess your morning routine. Do you need some boundaries for using your phone? How would your morning change with a little distance from your phone? What could you do with your morning instead checking your phone? Let us learn from you by leaving your wisdom in the comments.