5 Ways to Avoid Online Distractions and focus on Parenting

Modern parenting is different to 10 years ago. When I had my daughter back in 2009 there was not a lot of online distractions like today. I came up with 5 ways to avoid online distractions and focus on parenting because I have been feeling like I am inattentive.

When I had my daughter 10 years ago I noticed every smile, and I was really present even though I was struggling with postnatal depression.

Now I am constantly doing something online and I miss the smiles my son gives me.

I know I miss them because I would be so consumed with what I am doing on the phone that my daughter would yell that my son is smiling at me.

Technology and social media are a good thing but can make a person inattentive that is especially awful as a parent.

Here are things I did to make myself more present and hope they help you too:

Switch Off Social Media Notifications

Those social media notifications can be distracted and you will find yourself reaching for your phone to check. How many likes and comments your post has.

Then, you find yourself that you have spend hours of mindless scrolling through and left your children feeling unloved and less important.

Stop Refreshing Your Email

Ok, I don’t if anyone hits the email refresh like I did. I used to check it constantly but now I only check it 3 times a day and that’s it. What I didn’t see today, will deal with it tomorrow.

Learn to Unplugged

Unplugging is hard is the world of social media but for your sanity you have got to unplug and recharge. Do something else like meditating, writing in a notebook?

The world gets too busy that you cannot even hear your own thoughts. You need to hear yourself think and not be constantly be distracted by what is online.

Make Weekends Social Media Free

This is difficult to do because we are always on our phones, taking pictures and what not. It is okay to delay posting what you have been doing or pictures of your weekend.

Another way to have social media free weekends is to schedule your social media content and even your blog posts.
Being online 7 days a week does not make you anymore (relevant) than 5 days and it is also great for your mental health and

Stay Off Your Phone and be Present

On days that you don’t need to be on your phone, stay off it and be present. Play scrabble with your family, if you go to the park or taking walk with your children put your phone on silence.

Also, have a cut off time of using your phone during the week like maybe say, when it hits 7 p.m. no more phones.

Unless it is something important otherwise everything else can wait because your family especially your children comes first.

Those are some of the 5 ways to avoid online distractions and focus on parenting in life. What do you do to avoid online distractions?