How to Live a More Productive Life With a Digital Detox

Posted on by Kristine

Two weeks ago, I embarked on something I never thought I would ever need. I participated in a self-imposed digital detox.

What is a digital detox, you ask? Studies show that Americans spend more than 11 hours consuming some kind of digital media. Digital media is anything that comes from a device such as a laptop, smartphone, or TV etc.

A digital detox is exactly what it sounds like. It’s the act of untethering oneself from the aforementioned devices and instead engaging in real life, non-digital activities.

Why a Digital Detox?

During the week of the 2016 U.S. Presidential election, my smartphone and I were almost inseparable. I woke up numerous times in the middle of the night to check Twitter for election news.

Well, we all know how that turned out. And in the days following, my media consumption grew worse and worse. It got to a point where I would waste so much time just reading tweets, news headlines, and Facebook status updates. Not only that, the more I read, the angrier and frustrated I became. It got to a point where Craig and I could do nothing but have angry conversations about what we read online.

And then Friday arrived. I would have a break from work, a break from sitting at a computer all day and being tempted to just glance at headlines. It was then that I decided to do a self-imposed digital detox.

The Rules for My Digital Detox

There were several things I observed about my life which led me to acknowledge my need for a break from media consumption. Some of these might sound familiar to you:

  • Basic household tasks were being neglected such as laundry piling up, floors needing to be cleaned, and furniture dusted.
  • Personal endeavors weren’t progressing as fast as I had hoped. Some weren’t progressing at all.
  • My “someday” list was getting longer and longer.

So just by evaluating what was weighing me down, I managed to also come up with an action plan for what needed to be accomplished during the weekend. The guidelines for my detox were as follows:

  1. The detox begins at 12:00 AM midnight Saturday and ends at 11:59 PM Sunday.
  2. All social media will be avoided. Facebook and Instagram were my worst culprits.

Since this was my first weekend, I kept the rules simple. And if I ever wanted to take a break from any of the other things I was doing, I would read a book. It was that simple.

The Outcome

By Sunday evening, I had washed, folded, and put away all the laundry that was pouring out of the clothes hamper. The floors were free of dead leaves, grass, and smudged paw prints. The kitchen countertops were cleared and wiped down. I also filmed a YouTube video and wrote a blog post to go along with it. There were other things I wish I was able to get to, but as it stood I had already accomplished a lot for an entire weekend.

In fact, I’ve scheduled a recurring digital detox on my calendar every 3 weeks. This means that I would at least have one weekend a month of digital freedom.

Hopefully now with regular breaks, I’ll make more progress on the things that matter in life.

Citation: https://www.makewebvideo.com/en/templates/logo-stings

I’ve Been Following My Own Agenda with Agendio for a Year Now and Here’s My Experience

Posted on by Kristine

I bought my first Agendio planner a little over a year ago after discovering the company while browsing a Facebook group on personal organizers. I’ve used of Franklin Covey planners avidly for years. Personal organization is something I invest a lot of thought, effort, and time into. For me, it’s not just about doodling and making pages look pretty. It’s about making sure a spread in a notebook effectively documents what I’ve done and what I need to do in order to progress forward and live a productive day.

Not to knock any of you who do like to draw and make pretty checklists in your planners, but that motivates you and I applaud whatever motivates someone to be productive. But stuff like that doesn’t motivate me, it just distracts me and wastes my time and I end up getting frustrated.

So here are a few quick facts about Agendio planners before my video review.

Who/What Is Agendio?

Agendio creates customizable planners AND refills for both Franklin Covey, Filofax, and Day-Timer planners. Can also choose letter-sized punched or non-punched. At the time of this review, Agendio prints their planners on 90 gsm paper, which is decent weighted paper for those of you who like to use fountain pens to write.

In my experience, production and shipment time takes about 2 weeks.

Where Do You Buy Agendio Planners?

Online via their website at agendio.com.

How Much Does an Agendio Planner Cost?

They cost roughly $30-$45 depending on how you customize it. After shipping and extras, you can expect to spend up to $50 for a planner.

2016 Agendio Weekly Spread
Here’s a sampling of what divisible options you have available to you: dotted (or solid) lines of varying widths, lists, blank divisibles. Each one can be labeled to your liking.

What Can You Customize in Your Agendio Planner?

At the time of this review, you can customize:

  • Wrap cover color
  • Print color
  • Fonts
  • Date styles
  • “Divisibles” (Individual sections on a spread in your planner)
  • Extra pages

The NEW and IMPROVED Agendio launches November 7 and will feature the following:

  • Customizable covers
  • Unique monthly colors
  • Daily planners
  • Create your own extra pages
  • New tabs that you can customize
  • Decorative elastics
  • New wrap cover colors
  • Heavier weighted paper (120 GSM paper for weekly and monthly planners)

Already interested? Here’s my referral link:

Shop Agendio Planners

Watch My Review Below

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5T2Gvlq5m18

Lawn Makeover: Feeding and Watering

Posted on by Kristine

This is part 2 in a multipart series on my lawn makeover project.

susan-homemaker_goto1b

Here I was sitting on my front porch on an early Sunday morning. The weather was crisp and cool as early autumn weather should be. I had a cup of coffee in my lap and my new little lawn sprinkler going. Not a care in the world, nor a thought in my head. I just sat there and enjoyed the rhythmic pulsing of the water and the occasional car drive by while sipping my coffee.

Continue reading “Lawn Makeover: Feeding and Watering” →

Susan Homemaker v. 2.0: Lawn Makeover

Posted on by Kristine

This is part one of a multi-part series.

I’ve never lived in a house before (other than the one I grew up in) so typical home maintenance tasks are alien to me. In fact, up until recently, my definition of “outdoor living” meant sitting out on the patio of a tex-mex restaurant in an urban neighborhood with a margarita in my hand.

But of course as fate would have it, not only do I fall in love with a man who lives in a cute little house, but said cute little house comes with a really large yard.

So I’ve embraced this new life of mine. I’ve seen its potential and I’ve accepted the challenge. I’m going to take this domesticity thing a step further with a series of posts called Susan Homemaker v. 2.0 (“Suzy” just sounds so juvenile and unsophisticated). I’m going to work on putting some life back into this neglected little home, using brains, a feminine touch, and a little tech know-how, one project at a time beginning with the front lawn. Continue reading “Susan Homemaker v. 2.0: Lawn Makeover” →