What is Set It Down Saturday?
Set It Down Saturday is a day dedicated to setting down your screens so that you can have more control and balance of your screen usage in your daily life. By setting down your screen, even if it is just for a short amount of time, you are allowing yourself to reset from the unnecessary and mindless use of screens. You are breaking free from the habit of constantly reaching for your phone- even if there was no real reason for it. Instead of reaching for your phone on Saturday, you can now reach for alternative ways to spend your time.
Why should you participate in Set It Down Saturday?
Have you noticed your screen time usage going up- especially during the quarantine? Well, you are not the only one. It is happening to all of us- even the people who have been so intentional with their screen usage. An article written on Studyfinds.org elaborates on a poll done in May of 2020, commissioned by Vision Direct, where it was found that an average person will spend 13 hours a day using screens. In fact, we are glued to their phones within the first minute of waking up. If you add up all the screentime- on average, a person will spend 34 years of their life staring at screens. Set It Down Saturday could help you leverage some of that time back.
What are some strategies to help me Set It Down?
Setting down your phone can be very hard at first, but we promise it gets easier with time.
Start off by putting your phone in another room in a designated space. By getting the phone out of sight and out mind, you are more likely to not feel the urge to pick it up. Definitely do not leave it on the table in front of you- you are just asking yourself to pick it up!
Another trick- set it on airplane mode and turn off the wifi connection. This can be a great trick for when you go on a stroll around town and want to take photos. You can take the photos- just leave the notifications for another time.
I Set Down My Screen; Now what?
Now what? NOW WHAT?! You should be JUMPING FOR JOY! You took the very first step towards being in control of your screen usage. Jump. for. joy.
Now, take these steps to help you enjoy your time without the screen:
- Think about the hobbies or activities you love doing or have recently missed out on. Make sure they are quarantine approved at this moment in time.
- Take out a pen and some paper and write down those activities.
- Look at that list. Is there anything calling out your name more than others?
- Take action and make yourself do that activity.
Each week, reassess that list and take the time to do one thing on it. Soon you won’t even need that list as you’ll know exactly what you want to do. One thing to note- make sure they are fun and rewarding activities and not something off of your “To-Do List”.
Here’s an example: Marissa’s List has “Ride Bike” among many other things on it. She has a bike that has just been ignored, gaining dust and cobwebs, and maybe has a flat tire. So, she dusted that thing off and brought it to the bike mechanic so she can start riding it again. By next Saturday she will have a fully functioning bike and she can ride around town during her screen-free day!
There are SO many things you can do now that you have the free time. Today, you aren’t spending 13 hours on your blue-light colored screen. You are spending 13 hours adding the colors of the world back into your life! Make the list of hobbies and activities you love and take action on at least one today!
We’d love for you to share some of those items on that list- please comment below with your list!
I Can’t Set It Down on Saturday.
What if Saturday doesn’t work for me? We chose Saturday as it is typically the day for resting and catching up rather than working. If Saturday isn’t a great day for you, choose another day. But, don’t put it off- it will always feel like it is never the right time to start a new habit. Just jump and Set It Down.
Inspiration behind Set It Down Saturday
Set It Down Saturday was created in the fall of 2019 by Allie Cunningham, the founder of the Set It Down Movement. In 2019, Allie found herself sitting on the couch and extremely frustrated. Frustrated that she wasn’t motivated to do anything besides looking at her phone. Frustrated she and her partner weren’t having deep conversations. Frustrated that her night out with friends consisted of more scrolling than talking. The list continues. She realized, however, that she was not the only one and that there was a lack of resources for helping people set down their screens. Allie started being mindful of her weekends made time to put her phone on airplane mode. She started implementing the hobbies and activities that she used to love back into her life. Immediately, she saw her old, excited, and motivated self come back- ready for adventure. Set It Down Saturday is a day to help motivate others to set down their screens and gain back meaningful experiences.