[Bliss Tip] - do the shuffle

The App Shuffle that is 

One of the most common struggles I hear from my clients is...

The constant email. 

It just keeps coming. 

It's like you can never have a break from it. 

You're on a hike with a girlfriend and next thing you know, you're putting out a work related fire.

Total bliss kill.

Or, you're taking a mini holiday...

...and next thing you know, you're twisted into a pretzel trying your darndest to schedule and re-schedule your calendar to meet last minute client requests...

That holiday vibe you were going for...totally squashed. 
 

🌟

This is a two part problem.

Part habit. Part boundaries.  

The first part is a habit problem. 

The ingrained pattern of the brain to thumb connection.

The habit of your thumb clicking your email icon purely out of muscle memory.

You only looked at your phone, because you wanted to capture the moment, and take a photo of you and your girlfriends out having fun.

But next thing you know, your darn thumb pressed the email icon
 

The second part is a boundary problem. 

If you give people 24 hour access to you. They'll take it. 

They aren't doing it maliciously or to be mean. They're just reaching out when it's top of mind for them.

That doesn't mean you have to allow it to be top of mind for you, until you're ready.

 🌟

The solution? Well, it's two parts as well!

Step One: To kick the habit! Move your email App to the back of the bus.

Put it on a different page!

...and for goodness sake, take it off your main page.

This will interrupt the automatic pattern of the thumb to brain that is checking your email purely out of habit.

The first 50 times you try to check it...

...you'll instantly be reminded about the extra work it takes to scroll through 4 pages of apps to find where you've hidden it.

Since generally, as human beings, we're naturally lazy, you won't be bothered to put in the effort to scroll and find it.

Problem aborted. Bliss restored!

Step Two: Create a bliss boundary

Make the decision that you're time with your besties is worth protecting.

FIERCELY. Just like a mama bear. 

Leave your phone in the car when it's time for bliss, or turn it off for 1-2 hours at random times, to give yourself a bliss break. 

Put a CONSCIOUS fence around your precious time and guard it like Fort Knox. 

This one can bring up a lot of stuff...

But Christy...

"I don't want to be mean",

"I don't want people to think I don't care about them",

"what if all of my clients abandon me and go somewhere else because I'm not available when they "needed" me"

The truth is, we can be darn right mean to ourselves because we're afraid of being mean or perceived as "not nice" to others. 

At the end of the day, the only person who is going to stand up for you and your precious time is you.

So go forth, and do the shuffle...

Move that email app to the back of the bus, and commit to taking an email mini holiday this weekend.

I promise, it will do your body (and mind and spirit) good 

xo

Christy


P.s. I'm serious. Don't delay. Shuffle that app today and let me know how it goes! 


P.ps. If you know you struggle with setting healthy boundaries...now might be the perfect time to check out my blog post, "Setting healthy boundaries: Top 5 myths".